Sen. Grace Poe yesterday called on the Duterte administration to respect human rights, noting how a country’s rights record weighs heavily on the endowment of international assistance. The United States’ recently halted its sale of assault rifles to the Philippines, citing human rights concerns in President Duterte’s so-called war on drugs, which has resulted in over 3,000 dead in four months. Sought for comment, Poe said the United States has long maintained a policy “to take into consideration human rights concerns with whatever assistance it extends to a country,” including weapons. “Human rights and the antidrug efforts need not be mutually exclusive,” said Poe, an advocate of greater police accountability, including a call to install a civilian as head of the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service. The President also cussed and threatened UN investigators despite the country being a signatory to international covenants to uphold human rights.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer November 02, 2016 19:52 UTC