delivered by CHR Commissioner Karen S. Gomez-Dumpit
30 June 2020
Thank you Y our Excellencies.
The response of our Government before the Council, the issues and concerns raised on the floor will help us calibrate how we can move forward and offer our assistance to improve the human rights situation on the ground.
On the CHR being included in the review panel headed by the Department of Justice we note this new development and the CHR is ready to collaborate as we have always been. We urge that this measure be implemented within the technical cooperation framework offered by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
In addition, for this review to be credible, crucial in the overall response of government is to accept that killings are widespread and systematic. It must also not confine the coverage of this review to exclude other victims of the anti drug campaign and must look beyond government’s own numbers. It must demonstrate full transparency and cooperation with independent mechanisms including the Commission on Human Rights.
We will count on the commitment of the Justice Secretary that diligence will be exercised to ensure the accounting of each and every killing and other human rights violations arising from the anti drug war.
We cannot overemphasize the obligation of the State in upholding the right to life, the appreciation of both the negative and positive duties to protect, promote and prevent the arbitrary deprivation of life by security forces and private parties.
We will monitor the developments arising from this interactive dialogue as we look forward to follow on engagements at home. We will also continue to report on the progress of measures in forthcoming sessions of the Council as well as in the dialogues with the UN treaty bodies including the [UN Human Rights Committee [in its] review of the Philippine’s implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Commission stands firm as we are empowered by the solidarity that we have witnessed here today.
Maraming Salamat po.