PH to world: Do not interfere with our domestic challenges

Perfecto Yasay spoke at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Sat, Sep 24, and basically told the world — in the most diplomatic way possible — not to mess with the Philippines.

“We urge everyone to allow us to deal with our domestic challenges in order to achieve our national goals, without undue interference,” Yasay said.

To the ire of President Rodrigo Duterte’s die-hard supporters, more and more international media outlets and human rights organizations are speaking up against the alarmingly high death toll in his all-out war against illegal drugs.

“Our actions, however, have grabbed both the national headlines and international attention for all the wrong reasons,” Yasay said.

Well, if you kill more than a thousand people every 30 days, you’re bound to get some negative reaction.

Since Jun 30, more than 3,000 drug-related killings have been recorded. According to the police, almost 2,000 of the victims were murdered by unidentified assailants.

Over 1,000 drug suspects have been killed in police operations. Authorities claim these suspects resisted arrest and placed their lives in danger, so the police had no choice but to shoot them.

“We have not and we will never empower our law enforcement agents to shoot-to-kill individuals suspected of drug crimes,” Yasay said.

This is somehow contradictory to his principal’s own statement in Aug 5 where he issued a “shoot-to-kill” order against politicians who are involved in illegal drugs.

“That’s my order,” Duterte was quoted in an Inquirer report. “Read my lips… You will surely die.”

But don’t worry, these so-called “narco-politicians” are treated rather kindly. One narco-politician even stayed in the home of Philippine National Police (PNP) director general Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa after he surrendered.

“Extrajudicial killings have no place in our society and in our criminal justice system,” Yasay assured the UN delegation.



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