MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, February 19, slammed the "highly misplaced" report of United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders in the country.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the report to the UN Human Right Council's 40th session by Michel Forst, UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders, regarding Filipina human rights defenders was based on "fake information supplied by partisan groups" critical of President Rodrgo Duterte.
"The Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in the Philippines is highly misplaced as it is based on fake information supplied by partisan groups who are after political mileage believing they could gain it by badmouthing President Rodrigo Roa Duterte," the Palace official said in a statement.
"The UN Special Rapporteur should - and must - consciously, efficiently and thoroughly verify the facts and circumstances surrounding the aforementioned personalities before reports on their situation are published so as not to stain the integrity and credibility of his office," he added.
Forst's report has focused on the supposed challenges faced by women human rights defenders in the Philippines, citing the situation of detained Senator Leila de Lima, ousted chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, and recently arrested Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.
Forst named De Lima, Sereno, and Ressa as human rights defenders in prominent and leadership positions who seemed to be "targeted for their visibility -- not only to silence them but also to discourage broader dissent."
Panelo belied the claim of Forst that the government was trying to silence critics, stressing that the report contains "false narratives peddled by the usual cynics of the administration."
The Palace official also noted that the events that led to the present circumstances of De Lima, Sereno, and Ressa "are products of their own doing," which he said took place prior to Duterte's assumption to the presidential seat.
He said De Lima's alleged involvement in the proliferation of illegal drugs at the national penitentiary when she was still the Justice secretary was the reason why she was facing criminal complaints.
He emphasized that Sereno was removed from office for failure to submit complete copies of her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth when she applied for the position of Chief Justice during the Benigno Aquino III administration.
Panelo said it was Ressa's fault for not paying the correct taxes and publishing libelous articles against a private citizen, which he stressed happened way before Duterte's presidency.
"The Administration should not be blamed if it enforces the law more rigorously than its predecessors. The Administration should likewise not be blamed if its critics have issues following the law," he said.
"The fact that Senator de Lima, Atty. Sereno and Ms. Ressa are critics of the Administration is of no moment and absolutely unrelated to the criminal charges they are facing. One of the hallmarks of this Administration is its determination in promoting law and order in the country. We will prosecute violators of the law regardless of their social and political status," he added.
Panelo said he believed that the current administration still has the public support, despite the alleged criticisms hurled against Duterte.
"The Filipinos know better. They no longer allow themselves to be fooled by the political dramas concocted by the detractors of the Administration," he said.
"It is therefore not surprising that Senator de Lima, Atty. Sereno and Ms. Ressa could not muster public support and their blind followers instead resort to international groups who are clueless of the real situation of the Philippines and gullibly lend their names to such unworthy causes," the Palace official added. (SunStar Philippines)