MANILA, Philippines – An international group had a simple reminder for President Rodrigo Duterte, following his spokesperson’s pronouncements on the government’s refusal to fully heed recommendations from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC):The world is watching you. “If President Duterte wants to avoid a backlash from the international community, he needs to respond positively to the UN Report,” ICHRP chairperson Peter Murphy said in a statement. “One important outcome of Ms. [Michelle] Bachelet’s report could be the decision by President Duterte to put this bill aside, never to be enacted,” he added. The international rights community and Duterte’s government has not had the best of relations, as the former have condemned the Chief Executive’s supposed disregard for human rights. As an answer, Malacañang officials have insisted that the international community has no right to interfere in the way the Philippines is governed.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 12, 2020 11:48 UTC