MALACAÑANG on Tuesday dismissed the seemingly contradictory statements issued by President Duterte and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop regarding human-rights issues in the Philippines, saying it was “just a difference in perspective”.
“There was no contradiction between the Australian official and the Philippine president, just a difference in perspective,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto C. Abella said in a statement.
“Since they had a productive dialogue, which emphasized possible areas of constructive cooperation on the war against illegal drugs, the President did not deem it sufficient to mention as having been discussed,” the Palace official stressed. Bishop paid a courtesy call on President Duterte in Davao City last Friday.
Pressed during a briefing in Davao City before going to Myanmar on Sunday, Duterte said he and Bishop did not discuss human rights, and instead delved into “transnational crimes and terrorism”.
Later, Abella said Duterte and Bishop discussed terrorism, violent extremism, as well as maritime safety and freedom of navigation and overflight.
He added Australia had pledged $40 million for the Mindanao peace process, while Duterte expressed interest in learning about responsible mining from Australia.
“On the whole, the meeting was positive and just affirmed the growing Philippine-Australia relations,” Abella said.
But in a statement to Fairfax Media published Monday on The Sydney Morning Herald, Bishop said that she and Duterte discussed the Philippine government’s antidrug campaign at length.
“I conveyed Australian and international concerns with respect to extrajudicial killings and spoke of the importance we attach to human rights and the rule of law,” Bishop said.
However, in the same predeparture briefing on Sunday, Duterte had repeatedly stressed that in the war against illegal drugs, the government just follows the rules provided for by law.
“And if you are a criminal and you are caught in the act, do not fight, because if you place the guy’s [government forces] life—place it in jeopardy of losing it, my order is to shoot you,” he said.
“The only thing really to do is just to surrender with your hands raised up. But there will never be a time that I will condone killing with a criminal, or a person arrested with arms straight up begging for his life—or what would popularly be known as extrajudicial killing,” Duterte said.
1 comment
Typical bullshit of politicians. Can’t trust a one.
Duterte has to go. Slime balls and murderers who promise change but only bring terror need to die in Jail