PHILIPPINE STATEMENT DELIVERED BY DCM/DPR SULPICIO M. CONFIADO IN BEHALF OF VIENNA PE/PM AT A  SIDE EVENT DURING THE 60^TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS –
"HUMAN RIGHTS CHALLENGE: RESPONDING TO EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS IN THE DRUG WAR"

Thank you for  Mr. Moderator for giving me the floor. 

(SALUTATION)

1. Very early on in his campaign for the Presidency, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte categorically stated that he will deal decisively with the existential drug menace plaguing the country from North to South, East to West.  The Filipino people concerned with their security, safety, health and future, spoke through the ballot box. As the resounding result of the democratic exercise of suffrage, President Rodrigo Duterte was elected by an overwhelming majority of the Filipino people

2. We are disappointed that the firm resolve of President Duterte in addressing the scourge of drugs has met with skepticism, if not outright condemnation.  The focus has been solely on alleged human rights violations and so-called extra judicial killings.  The shocking number of 7,000 killed has been bandied about as reflecting the number of EJKs.  There is clearly a need for clarification and investigation of these numbers. Based on data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and PNP, following statistics are noted:

• The number of persons arrested and cases filed by PDEA in 2016 reached 27,943.
  
  
• The number of anti-illegal drug operations carried out by PDEA in 2016 reached 32,230.
  
  
• The spike in the statistics on killings, while in part coming from data on casualties from legitimate police operations against drug criminals, arise from killings carried out by vigilante elements or purges by the drug syndicates themselves. These killings are being investigated as murders. It should also be noted that a good percentage of the killings recorded in the last six months are non-drug related.
  
  
• The Government has an inter-agency mechanism that has been operational since 2012, the “AO35 Inter-Agency Committee,” headed by the Department of Justice and comprising of PHRC, DILG, DND, OPAPP, Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs, AFP, PNP and the NBI to address Extra-Judicial and Extra-Legal Killings, Enforced Disappearances, Torture, and Other Grave Violations of the Right to Life, Liberty and Security of Persons.
  
  
• The inter-agency mechanism addresses cases of EJKs, which involves the targeted killings of persons because of their advocacies to include political, environmental, media practitioner, human rights, etc. The Government has recognized that a small proportion are suspicious cases and these are being seriously and thoroughly investigated and prosecuted. We reiterate that the Philippine Government has never made extrajudicial killings a state policy and the President himself has taken action on erring law enforcement personnel.

3. The principled campaign against illegal drugs should be viewed in the context of the President’s duty under the Philippine Constitution itself.  This he has been doing, and doing this with fervor and commitment. Who else has a greater stake in the country’s security, safety, prosperity and future but the President and the Filipino people themselves? Notwithstanding criticisms from within and without, the majority of Filipinos continue to support the campaign against illegal drugs as manifested in results of all surveys since the President took office. We welcome advice but the decisions will be made on sovereign grounds.

4. Article II, Section 4 of the Philippine Constitution stipulates that the prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people.  Section 5, likewise provides that the maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty and property, and the promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of democracy.  Our President has committed his whole being in trying to fulfill his duty and oath to the people and our nation

5. Unfairly, the Philippines response to the drug menace has been almost exclusively portrayed within the rubric of enforcement.  The truth, however, is that the Philippine Government has pursued a balanced and wholistic approach to the drug issue in all its facets – prevention, education, enforcement, rehabilitation, and reintergration. The five pillars of supply reduction, demand reduction, alternative development, civic awareness and regional and international cooperation inform the Philippines’ mission against illicit drugs.   

6. We wish to emphasize that the Anti-Illegal Drugs campaign is but a subset of the overall socio-economic agenda of the Duterte administration. The Philippines has employed a whole-of-government approach in uplifting the dignity of Filipinos to alleviate poverty and pave the way for safe and secure societies. Various Philippine Government agencies are working towards this end. Aside from the war on illegal drugs, the Government is leading the effective implementation of agrarian reform through continued distribution of lands[1], improvement of communal irrigation systems to farmer-beneficiaries, and provision of agri-fishery assistance to farmers and fisherfolks, primarily through infrastructure projects, and promoting the rights of workers through the new labor policy of ending the contractual system in employing workers or the so-called ENDO practice. 

7. The unheralded success of President Duterte’s approach could be gleaned from the substantial 31.7 percent decrease in crimes from January to December 2016 compared with the same figure the year before. More rehabilitation centers have been and are being built with the enthusiastic support of the community, business sector and international partners. Various community-based measures as well as initiatives for our young people, including the Peer-based Strategy Against Drugs, have met with considerable success. Regionally, the Philippines, as chair and member of ASEAN, has embarked on collaborative efforts with like-minded countries to secure our communities against illicit drugs.

8. Perhaps the voluntary surrender of 700,000 people is telling.  It tells of the magnitude of the drug problem which has affected 45,000 barangays and affected another 3 million people. It could also be viewed as an indication of the success of the drugs campaign as voluntary submission means that these victims desire to rid themselves of the habit, in the use or trade of drugs.  The Philippine Government has helped and continues to help these people within its moral and constitutional duties.

9. Ours is a young population, with over 30 percent below the age of 14.  We want safe communities where they can mature to be responsible citizens and achieve their full potential. A drug-infested community robs our youth of this basic human right - the right to life, the right to happiness and the right to a bright tomorrow.

10. We call on all our friends in the international community to appreciate the existential threat that our country faces.  We call on the international community to do their share in raising their voices against the legalization of illicit drugs. We call on the international community to see through the various agenda that promotes commercial and mercantilistic interests under the guise of compassion and human rights while ignoring the solemn duty of a state to protect its very existence and to nurture its people.

11.  Finally, allow me to quote from President Duterte’s State of the Nation address last July 2016:  “My administration shall be sensitive to the State’s obligations to promote, protect, and fulfill the rights of our citizens, especially the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable and social justice shall be pursued, even as the rule of law shall at all times prevail. My administration shall implement a human approach to development and governance, as we improve our people’s welfare in the areas of health, education, adequate food and housing, environmental preservation, and respect for culture.Human rights must work to uplift human dignity. But human rights cannot be used as a shield or an excuse to destroy the country,” unquote.”

Thank you Mr. Moderator