Duterte was succeeded by Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office on June 30 following a landslide election victory with his vice-presidential running mate Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter. Markey and his delegation met Marcos Jr. at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila on Thursday. Several witnesses, however, have recently recanted their allegations against her, re-igniting calls for the Marcos Jr. administration to free her. She filed more than 600 proposed Senate bills and resolutions from jail, many aimed at strengthening human rights and government accountability and easing poverty. Markey, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, renewed deep concerns over human rights conditions under then-outgoing President Duterte in a joint statement in June with two other U.S. senators.

Source: thestar August 20, 2022 02:58 UTC