'It is paramount that human rights violations are not an unintended consequence of the war on drugs,' US Congressman Randy Hultgren says

MANILA, Philippines – US lawmakers conducted a hearing on Thursday, July 20, about alleged abuses in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

The hearing was conducted by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the US Congress, co-chaired by US Congressmen James McGovern and Randy Hultgren.

In his opening remarks, Hultgren pointed out that the Philippines "is a valuable ally of the United States and is the largest recipient of United States' assistance in East Asia."

"For this reason, it is paramount that human rights violations are not an unintended consequence of the war on drugs," Hultgren said.

"Human rights are fundamental. Every person is born with dignity. As such, they should be afforded the protection and due process of the law," he added.

The hearing began at 10:00 am in Washington DC, or 10:00 pm Manila.

Hours before the hearing on Thursday, Malacañang urged US lawmakers to consider "all sides" of the issue. "Insinuations and hasty judgements have no place in due process," Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

The hearing comes after two US senators in May filed a bill restricting the export of certain weapons and equipment from the US to the Philippine National Police as a consequence of Duterte's anti-drug campaign. – Rappler.com </s> The hearing is scheduled Thursday 10 pm (Manila time). Watch it live on Rappler.

MANILA, Philippines – US lawmakers conduct a hearing on Thursday, July 20, about the "human rights consequences" of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

The hearing is scheduled at 10 pm on Thursday in Manila (10 am Thursday in Washington DC).

It is set to be conducted by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the US Congress.

Congressmen James McGovern and Randy Hultgren, co-chairmen of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, will host the hearing on Wednesday.

Hours before the hearing, Malacañang urged US lawmakers to consider "all sides" of the issue. "Insinuations and hasty judgements have no place in due process," Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

The hearing comes after two US senators in May filed a bill restricting the export of certain weapons and equipment from the US to the Philippine National Police as a consequence of Duterte's anti-drug campaign. </s> MANILA, Philippines – US lawmakers conduct a hearing on Thursday, July 20, about the "human rights consequences" of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

The hearing is scheduled at 10 pm on Thursday in Manila (10 am Thursday in Washington DC).

It is set to be conducted by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the US Congress.

Congressmen James McGovern and Randy Hultgren, co-chairmen of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, will host the hearing on Wednesday.

Panelists include the following:

Ellecer Carlos, spokesperson, iDEFEND, Philippines

Matthew Wells, senior crisis advisor, Amnesty International

Phelim Kine, deputy director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch

Hours before the hearing, Malacañang urged US lawmakers to consider "all sides" of the issue. "Insinuations and hasty judgements have no place in due process," Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

The hearing comes after two US senators in May filed a bill restricting the export of certain weapons and equipment from the US to the Philippine National Police as a consequence of Duterte's anti-drug campaign.

Watch the hearing live on Rappler. – Rappler.com </s> In this Feb. 13, 2017 photo, Philippine Sen. Leila de Lima takes her seat during a session in the Philippine Senate in suburban Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. Philippine justice secretary said Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, criminal charges have been filed against the opposition senator allegedly receiving money from detained drug lords in a move that can lead to the arrest of one of the president's most vocal critics.

Start the conversation, or Read more at SFGate. </s> 'We trust that the [Filipino] people understand that they are really getting the better side of this deal,' says Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang dismissed concerns voiced by American lawmakers during a United States Congress hearing on the Duterte administration's drug war, saying the real judge of its success or failure is the Filipino people.

"As the President would say, the real judge of the actions of the administration would be not so much these opinions, but people actually, the people of the Philippines, the citizens here who find that... it’s safer in the streets, the crime index has dropped," said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella on Friday, July 21.

He was speaking at a Palace news briefing hours after the end of the public hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in Washington DC.

During the hearing, two lawmakers – Congressman James McGovern, who represents the 2nd district of Massachusetts, and Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California's 14th district – slammed Duterte's drug war.

But Abella, without addressing the concerns of the lawmakers, said only Filipinos who have given Duterte their support can make a fair assessment of his anti-drugs campaign.

"The real judge of the situation would be the people who have given him overwhelming support and overwhelming approval," said Abella.

Duterte's spokesman is confident that Filipinos know they are reaping the benefits of the fight against illegal drugs.

"We trust that the people understand that they are really getting the better side of this deal," said Abella.

He reiterated a previous statement asking for US lawmakers and other critics of the administration to "listen to both sides of the story."

McGovern, co-chairperson of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said during the hearing that he would lead the protest against a White House invitation for Duterte.

"The United States government cannot afford any degree of complicity with the kinds of human rights violations that are occurring," he said.

Speier, meanwhile, hit Duterte for his "deranged policy" for addressing the spread of drugs.

"We need to call this deranged policy out for its state-sanctioned vigilantism that contravenes the rule of law and damages the international standing of the Philippines," she said.

The public hearing was attended by other lawmakers who took turns speaking after hearing the testimonies of 3 panelists: Ellecer Carlos, spokesperson of iDEFEND Philippines; Matthew Wells, senior crisis advisor of Amnesty International; and Phelim Kine, deputy director for Asia of Human Rights Watch. – Rappler.com </s> SENATOR Leila De Lima is preparing for the worst following the recent announcement of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd that the Department of Justice (DoJ) may issue a resolution against her very soon.

De Lima said she has long been expecting the release of the resolution and her possible arrest in connection with the cases filed against her. The senator is facing five drug trafficking complaints filed by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for allegedly receiving payoffs from high profile drug convicts inside the National Bilibid Prison (NBP).

The senator is also facing complaints for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act because of her alleged links to Eastern Visayas drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.

“I really don’t know when the arrest warrant will be issued. I’m just saying that Secretary Aguirre has confirmed that they will issue the resolution against me and that I better brace myself,” she added.

But the senator said Aguirre should also prepare to answer the complaints that she will be filing against him.

 De Lima mentioned the issue regarding the confidential memorandum about the privileges extended to high-profile convicts detained at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) custodial center in Camp Aguinaldo.

The convicts, who testified against De Lima during the inquiry held by the House committee on justice on the proliferation of illegal drugs at the NBP last year were reportedly allowed to use cell phones and other gadgets while in detention.

“These are definitely illegal acts that a secretary of justice should not be doing,” she said. Senate President pro-tempore Franklin Drilon said that should an arrest warrant be issued against De Lima, those tasked to carry out the order should follow the law.

“By tradition we will oppose service of the warrant of arrest inside the session hall. The sanctity of the session hall must be respected,” Drilon noted. </s> Noel Celis, AFP | An alleged drug dealer is handcuffed during a police operation conducted in Manila on March 15, 2018. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced Wednesday a move towards quitting the ICC, which has launched a preliminary examination.

Philippine police said Thursday they had shot dead 13 drug suspects, just days after President Rodrigo Duterte moved to take the country out of the International Criminal Court over its inquiry into his deadly drug war.

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The suspects were killed Wednesday in the northern province of Bulacan, an official statement said, an area where police have previously launched lethal crackdowns on illegal drugs.

"Bulacan police are continuously and relentlessly implementing their intensified campaign against illegal drugs," the statement said, adding there had been more than 100 arrests.

The war crimes tribunal, based in The Hague, last month launched a preliminary inquiry into Duterte's bloody crackdown on narcotics, amid allegations Philippine security forces may have committed crimes against humanity.

Killings are 'systematic and widespread', says HRW's Carlos Conde

Philippine police have said they have killed roughly 4,100 suspects who fought back during arrest, but rights groups allege the actual number is three times higher and accuse the authorities of murder.

"The president himself has denied access to the special rapporteur and has launched a vicious attack against the United Nations and the rapporteur, Agnès Callamard, undermining her credibility and discouraging her from investigating these killings,” Carlos Conde, a researcher for Human Rights Watch Asia Division, told FRANCE 24.

'A determined evasion of accountability'

The war crimes tribunal opened in 2002 to try abuses in countries where national courts cannot or will not prosecute. Manila in 2011 ratified the Rome Statute that created the court.

Manila gave official notice to the United Nations last week that it would withdraw, days after Duterte announced his country would quit the court over alleged "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks" against his government's rights record.

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said last Friday the Philippines was pushing back against "the well-orchestrated campaign to mislead the international community, to crucify President Duterte... by distorting the human rights situation in the country".

The tribunal has urged Manila to reconsider its decision, adding that officially quitting the court requires a year's notice and does not preclude its preliminary inquiry into the drug war killings, which have drawn international concern.

Duterte, who is buoyed by high popularity ratings at home, has fiercely defended the drug war as a battle to bring safety to the nation's 100 million people.

He has frequently urged authorities to kill drug suspects while promising to protect police from legal sanction.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP) </s> Opposition Senator Leila de Lima is escorted by Senate security to address the media after a warrant for her arrest was issued by a regional trial court Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, in suburban Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. The Philippine court has issued an arrest warrant on drug charges for the senator and former top human rights official who is one of the most vocal critics of President Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs. De Lima has vehemently denied the charges, which she says are part of Duterte's attempt to intimidate critics of his crackdown, which has left more than 7,000 drug suspects dead.

Manila: A Philippine court on Thursday issued an arrest order for combative Senator Leila de Lima, in connection with allegations that she received drug money from an influential prison syndicate.

Judge Juanita Guerero, of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204, ordered the arrest of De Lima, who on Thursday afternoon remained holed up in her locked office at the Senate building in Pasay City.

Aside from the De Lima, also ordered arrested were Rafael Ragos and Ronnie Dayan who are respectively a close aide and personal driver of the senator.

“After a careful evaluation of the herein information and all the evidence presented during the preliminary investigation conducted in this case by the Department of Justice, Manila, the court finds sufficient probable cause for the issuance of warrants of arrest against Leila M. de Lima, Rafael Marcos Z. Ragos and Ronnie Palisoc Dayan,” the court order states.

De Lima and her aides are being accused of violating the law against drugs, particularly Section 5 of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

This particular law deems as illegal the “sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of illegal drugs,” and prescribes a punishment of imprisonment from a minimum of 12 years to life imprisonment and payment of fine from 500,000 pesos to 10 million pesos (Dh36,502 to Dh730,043).

The arrest order was issued after the Department of Justice last week charged De Lima, who was justice secretary until last year, with accepting money from high-profile drug syndicates in exchange for allowing the jailed felons to conduct their business even while in prison.

De Lima is known to be close to former President Benigno Aquino III and is an active member of his political organisation, the Liberal Party (LP).

Meanwhile, incumbent Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre alleged that a former senator and an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, who is with the LP, had tried to bribe high profile inmates who have direct knowledge on De Lima’s acceptance of protection money during the time she was justice secretary.

Aguirre said the information held by national penitentiary New Bilibid Prisons inmates Vicenty Sy, JoJo Baligad Herbert Colanggo, Engelberto Aceñas Dureno, and Wu Tuan Yuan or Peter Co could pin down De Lima on allegations that she was providing protection to the six high profile inmates who were allegedly involved in running a drug distribution ring under the noses of jail authorities.

“We have information that the first offer to the inmates was made on Wednesday afternoon. It was made by a former senator and an incumbent Congressman of the Liberal Party in the Province of Laguna. The inmates were told that they have to recant before February 25, 2017,” according to Aguirre. </s> MANILA, Philippines – The Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs conducted a hearing on August 24 and September 5 on the death of Kian delos Santos, the 17-year-old whom Caloocan police are accused of executing in an anti-drug raid.

Senate Resolution 471 has been filed, expressing the sense to condemn the killing of the Grade 11 student.

The resolution looked into the accountability of the Philippine National Police in the conduct of the campaign against illegal drugs that may have resulted in unnecessary and unjustified deaths.

On October 2, the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs widens their probe, where they included the investigation of the death of two other teenage boys, Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo 'Kulot' de Guzman, who where also both killed during police operations.

Watch the previous hearings on Kian delos Santos:

August 24, 2017

September 5, 2017

– Rappler.com
A hearing in the U.S. Senate is held about alleged human rights violations in the Philippines's war against illegal drugs.