MALACAÑANG scoffed on Thursday, March 7, at United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet for saying that President Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs was not a good model for other countries.
In a press conference, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo lamented that Bachelet was merely listening to the opposition's rants against Duterte's brutal crackdown on illegal drugs.
"The problem with that statement when coming from that UN official is that she relies on what she receives information coming from the critics and detractors of the administration. And we've been saying that this information is wrong," the Palace official said.
In a March 6 address to the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Michelet slammed the drug policies in the Philippines for its "lack of respect for rule of law and international standards."
Bachelet also cited several sources' estimate that some 27,000 people may have been killed in the implementation of the campaign against illegal drugs since Duterte assumed office in June 2016.
Panelo lectured Bachelet, saying the information taken by the UN rights executive from her sources was apparently "wrong."
He also slammed foreign officials who keep on interfering in the country's policies, especially when it comes to the Duterte government's resolve to curb the proliferation of illegal drugs.
"We've been saying this information is wrong. Like for instance, when she claims that there are 27,000 deaths, eh ang (the) official count is only 5,000," he said.
"Mas marunong pa sila dito sa bansa (They think they know better than us on) how to deal with our problem," Panelo added.
As of January this year, the number of drug personalities killed has risen to 5,176 since Duterte waged a war on illegal drugs in July 2016, data from the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency showed. (SunStar Philippines)