Panelo says President Duterte to determine if PHL needs to cut diplomatic ties with Iceland

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo during the press briefing in Malacanang on Monday, July 15, 2019. (Photo grabbed from RTVM video)

(Eagle News) – Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that President Rodrigo Duterte would be the one to finally decide if the Philippines would cut diplomatic ties with Iceland which pushed the resolution with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) seeking a comprehensive report on the Philippine drug war.

In a press briefing in Malacanang on Monday, July 15, Panelo said that he would also leave this question with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddyboy” Locsin Jr.

But for Panelo, there is nothing wrong in cutting ties with a country if that country makes declarations that undermine the sovereignty of the Philippines.

Hindi masama. Eh kung gumagawa sila ng mga deklarasyon na labag sa ating kasarinlan, at pumapasok sila sa loob ng pamamaraan ng pamahalaan upang sirain ang sindikato ng droga sa ating bansa na sumisira sa halos buong pamilya ng ating bayan, eh baka kailangan na rin,” he told reporters.

“We will leave that to the President,” Panelo said of the decision on cutting ties with Iceland.

This is always a possibility, he said, especially if that country had already judged the Philippines on its drug war and had been insisting on its position that is against the Philippine sovereignty.

Kasi kapag ang isang bansa ay nagpapahayag ng mga posisyon na makakasira sa ating kasarinlan o sovereignty ay kailangan talagang putulin natin ang relasyon natin sa kanila kung wala silang gagawin kung hindi siraan lang tayo nang siraan sa mga kalakaran na hindi naman batay sa tunay na pangyayari dito sa ating bayan,” Panelo explained.




In any case, he noted, the Philippines has no embassy in Iceland, and Iceland too has no embassy here in the country.

“How will it affect us?” Panelo said reacting to the possible cutting of diplomatic ties with Iceland.

Ano bang relasyon natin sa Iceland in the first place. Halos wala naman tayong … ni wala tayong embassy doon, ni walang ano sila rito eh.”

In the end, he said, the final determiner is if this would serve the best interest of the country.

-Data on drug war readily available-

Panelo said that Iceland did not even ask the Philippine government formally regarding data on its drug war.

“All they have to do is to ask us, not to prejudge us,” he said.

“Mayroon tayong talaan ng mga pangalan ng mga namamatay na lumalaban at naruroon din ang kalakaran na bumabalot sa pagkapaslang ng mga ito, at iyan ay kung sila ay lumalaban at ang buhay ng ating mga police enforcers ay nakasuong sa panganib. Hindi maaari naman na hahayaan na lang natin ang bala na kumitil sa buhay ng ating mga police enforcers,” Panelo said.

He said he could not understand why Iceland and other countries which have already believed the allegations made by Duterte’s critics, would not try to see the side of the government, especially since almost 100 policemen have already been killed by syndicates related to illegal drugs.

Yan ang hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit hindi nila makita ang katotohanan na halos isandaan nang pulis ang napatay ng mga ugnay sa sindikato. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit hindi nila makita na mahigit 700 ang nagkaroon ng malubhang kalagayan at halos mamatay na dahil sa paglaban dito sa subject ng police operations,” he said.

-Iceland pushing human rights inquiry into Duterte drug war-

It was Iceland which authored a draft resolution seeking an inquiry into the Philippine drug war. In voting last week, 18 countries favored the resolution, including Iceland, while 14 countries of the 47-member UNHRC voted against it. Fifteen other member countries decided to abstain from voting.

Prior to this, Iceland had already been very critical of the Duterte drug war.

Iceland is just a new member of the UN human rights council having joined it only last year, but it had consistently pushed for an inquiry into the Philippine drug war.

“As a new member of the Council last year, Iceland pledged to address human rights concerns on their merits. We also pledged to take leadership and responsibility in initiating action when and where warranted,” said Gudlaugur Thór Þórdarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

“By tabling this resolution we were following up on previous initiatives in the Council. It was necessary, in our opinion, because all reports indicate that the human rights situation in the Philippines continues to deteriorate. I am satisfied with the result today. This vote shows that the Human Rights Council has, for its part, demonstrated that it can address urgent and important issues that warrant its attention,“ Iceland’s foreign minister explained on Thursday, July 11, when Iceland tabled the resolution.

According to the Iceland government’s website, “Iceland has in the past led close to forty states in Joint Statements in the Council on the topic of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, related to the so-called war on drugs.”

“The last such statement, in June 2018, noted that the Council would need to consider a more formal Council initiative, i.e. a resolution, to try and ensure that UN member states meet their human rights obligations,” it said.

Iceland was elected to join the Council in July 2018. Its term ends by the end of the year.

(Eagle News Service)