Ke-e, Adam B.

English 101 Advance Grammar and Composition

M-TH 3:30 – 5:30, F 4:30 – 5:30

Argumentative Essay

Entry No. ___

PARAGRAPH
Criteria: Mechanics:
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Why UN Rights Council should not adopt resolution on Philippines

Drug War killings
.

One of the most contentious issues in the Philippines today involves

Iceland’s proposal to investigate the alleged human rights violations of the
Duterte administration. The Duterte administration and its allies have been
defensive since the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a
resolution, which seeks to address the killings that took place under the
present administration’s war on drugs.

Duterte and his cronies deride the said UN resolution, claiming that it is
unenforceable. On the other hand, human rights groups and advocates
criticize the Duterte administration for its disinformation campaign,
contending that it is only a mechanism to evade responsibility over the
multitude of drug war killings.
 Meanwhile, afar from the conflicting views and opinions, we need to be
educated on the UN Resolution. What does the UN resolution seek for with
respect to the drug war killings? In brief, the Iceland-initiated resolution
adopted by the UN Human Rights Council basically seeks three things namely
the following:

a.) For UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet to write a comprehensive report

on the situation in the Philippines and present it to the council

b.) For the Philippine government to cooperate with UN offices,

mechanisms, and experts by facilitating country visits and "refraining
from all acts of intimidation or retaliation”

c.) For the Philippine government to do everything it can to prevent

extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances and to hold
perpetrators accountable by carrying out impartial investigations,
among others

Now that we know what is being sought by the Iceland- initiated

resolution, can it really be said that such resolution is necessary? Can our
own government not come up with a comprehensive report on the situation
in the Philippines? Is our government not cooperative with UN initiatives? Is
there really inaction on the part of our government with respect to
extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances?

I believe the lis mota of this controversy revolves around the question of
whether or not it is proper for the UN Human Rights Council to carry out its
resolution in response to Iceland’s proposal to investigate the alleged human
rights violations of the Duterte administration.
 Evidently, this issue has elicited different responses and opinions. Many
Human Rights advocates and organizations claim that it is necessary for the
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to adopt the resolution
contending that the Philippine government failed to stop the proliferation of
drug-related crimes and killings under Duterte’s drug war. Those in favor of
adopting the resolution argue that international intervention is necessary
since according to the Fund for Peace 2019 Fragile States Index, the
Philippines was described as a state with high warning over eroding human
rights and higher levels of crime and violence.

In addition, as argued by Human Rights Watch deputy director of Geneva

Laila Matar, there is lack of genuine cooperation by the Philippine
government when it comes to addressing the country’s human rights
situation before the international community. Matar said years of joint
statements and negotiations on the resolution saw the Philippines’ lack of
genuine commitment to investigate violations or cooperate with the
international community to do so. She further said that the Philippines also
made no commitment to change the course in its anti-illegal drug operations.

Put simply, those in favor of adopting the Iceland-initiated resolution

claim that the Philippine government had an opportunity to stop the killings
and investigate the drug war killings but no genuine action was taken. A
resolution by the Council was thus clearly warranted.

However, as to the issue, I stand in the negative. I believe that it is not

proper for the UN Human Rights Council to carry out its resolution in
response to Iceland’s proposal to investigate the alleged human rights
violations of the Duterte administration. To echo what Chief Justice Lucas
Bersamin said when he was asked to react to the United Nations Human
Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution to come up with a comprehensive report
on the killings in the drug war, there is nothing that would merit international
interference in the investigation of the high number of killings in President
Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

First, from the judiciary’s viewpoint, there are already numerous petitions
pending before the Supreme Court that seek to declare the entire policy of
the war on drugs as unconstitutional. In fact, the Supreme Court had ruled in
many cases to publicly release police documents related to the killings. This
only means that legal actions have already been taken to address these
killings.

Second, it is also important to take note that the United Nations Human
Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution, being pushed by Iceland, is only a
minority resolution considering that only eighteen of the forty-seven member
countries voted in favor of the human rights resolution. Fourteen countries
opposed it and fifteen others abstained. Being a mere minority resolution,
and as pointed out by Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, any probe resulting
from the narrow vote for Iceland resolution will not be allowed into the
Philippines. In the words of Malacañang, as highlighted in one news report,
the resolution is “grotesquely one-sided, outrageously narrow, and
maliciously partisan.”

Furthermore, the Iceland-backed resolution that urges the United Nations

rights Chief Michelle Bachelet to prepare a comprehensive report on the
human rights situation in the Philippines is an insult to the Filipino people. It
gives an impression to the international community that our government is
inefficient. What can the United Nations Human Rights Council do that our
very own Commission on Human Rights cannot?

Finally, it should be pointed out that while it is true that there are drug
war killings that are still unsolved, such cannot be attributed to the lack of
action on the part of the government, but due to some other factors such as
the presumption of regularity in police operations, the passing of the
responsibility between the police and prosecutors, and the alleged lack of
witnesses, which is a prerequisite to build a case.

As a conclusion, I would like to reiterate that international interference in

the investigation of the high number of killings in President Rodrigo Duterte's
war on drugs is not necessary. What should be done instead is for the
Philippine government, primarily the judiciary, to intensify its efforts
pertaining to the investigation of the killings associated with Duterte
administration’s drug war. We have to show the world that we can solve the
issue on drug war killings, that our government is functioning, and that
investigations and hearings are being conducted by the Committee on
Justice, our very own courts. This, as it is now, is our very challenge.