MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, July 23, remained firm that it would not welcome any investigation by any international organizations into President Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo maintained that the President would shun any attempt by international groups like the United Nations (UN) to conduct an inquiry into his drug war.
'It will not kasi nga (It will not convince us to let any foreign entities to investigate Duterte's drug war because) it's an assault on our sovereignty," Panelo told Palace reporters.
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet is expected to present a comprehensive written report on Duterte's drug war and present it during the UNHRC's 44th session by June 2020 following the UN Human Rights Council's adoption of a resolution seeking a probe into the Philippines' human rights situation.
Panelo, however, insisted that Duterte need not face an international probe because the country's justice system is "robust."
"Hindi naman natin ini-stop eh. 'Di ba ang reaction natin is you cannot do that to us because we are a sovereign state. Lumalakad lahat 'yung aming sistema namin dito (We don't stop them. Our reaction is you cannot do that to us because we are a sovereign state. Our justice system here is working)," he reiterated.
"Hindi kailangang pumasok nila rito. We have a robust judicial system, ini-imbestigahan lahat iyan, dine-demanda naman. Huwag kayong mangialam dito sa aming bansa," Panelo added.
(There's no need to interfere. We have a robust judicial system. We investigate cases related to drug war and file cases against those who are found to have violated the laws. Do not meddle in our country.)
Results of the June 22 to 26 survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations found that 60 percent of adult Filipinos agreed that the Duterte administration should not "block" the intent of other international groups to conduct an inquiry into the killings of alleged 6,600 drug offenders in legitimate police operations. (SunStar Philippines)