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PHILIPPINE ENVOY TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CORRECTS UN HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORT ON THE PHILIPPINES

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14 September 2016 — Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong, the Philippines’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, today corrected the report delivered by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. She stated that President Rodrigo Duterte has never empowered police officers to “shoot to kill” any individual whom they claim to suspect of drug crimes. What he said was the police have the right to defend themselves when their lives are endangered when drug suspects violently resist arrest.

Delivering the Philippine statement on the second day of the 33rd Session of the Human Rights Council in response to Mr. Al Hussein’s report, Ambassador Rebong emphasized that the ongoing campaign against illegal drugs, which has the overwhelming support of the Filipino public, is “being waged under the leadership and direction of President Rodrigo Duterte, with a firm adherence to the rule of law, due process, and human rights principles.”