After criticizing the United Nations’ failed attempts at peace in Syria, President Rodrigo Duterte took another jab at the UN earlier today in a media briefing in Davao City.
“Kung ganyan kayo kabastos, umalis na kami d’yan sa inyo… Take us out of your organization. You have done nothing anyway,” Duterte said of the UN.
(If you’re this rude, then we should just leave.)
As a refresher, as of October 2014, UN agencies have given a total of US $81,506,255 towards Yolanda-related operations in the Philippines.
Not to mention the fact that UN volunteers were some of the first people who responded within 12 hours after Supertyphoon ‘Yolanda’ (Haiyan) devastated Visayas in 2013.
And disaster relief is just one of the many ways the UN helped the Philippines through the years.
Duterte’s criticisms came after UN special rapporteur (reporter) on summary executions Agnés Callamard expressed her willingness to visit the Philippines to investigate the spate of drug-related murders, which has ballooned to nearly 1,000 deaths in Duterte’s first 50 days.
“I will explain extrajudicial killings, for international release, if you want… My orders are for the police to go out and hunt for criminals. I tell them to arrest these criminals if they surrender peacefully, but kill them if they put up a violent struggle. I assume full responsibility for what happens,” Duterte said in a CNN Philippines report.
Duterte, who earned the moniker ‘The Punisher’ back in his days as the tough-guy mayor of Davao, said his job is not to protect criminals.
“My job as President is to protect law-abiding citizens… I was never tasked by any law to protect criminals. I say this because 16 million people voted for me and I have a large margin between me and the next candidate,” Duterte explained.
Last time we checked, the Philippine Constitution still upholds the rights of individuals who are arrested, detained, or undergoing custodial investigation.
We’re not even sure what his winning margin has to do with his war on drugs or the UN, but hey, the president can say whatever he wants because the Constitution also recognizes his right to free speech.
Isn’t human rights fantastic?
