President Rodrigo Duterte has made the nation a "far more dangerous place" in just two years in office, Amnesty International Philippines said.
As President Duterte is set to deliver his third State of the Nation Address on Monday, the rights association on Thursday criticized his administration's human rights agenda as it “went on a downward spiral” despite his pledge to be sensitive to the state’s obligation to promote, protect and fulfill human rights and pursue social justice.
"Impunity and lack of accountability have been shamelessly displayed at almost all levels of his administration, failing to meet its basic job to protect the Filipino people including meeting their basic economic needs and civil liberties," said the group's statement.
"While the President said in his 2016 speech that ‘his administration shall be sensitive to the State’s obligation to promote, protect and fulfill human rights, especially the poor, marginalized and the vulnerable; that social justice will be pursued and rule of law at all times will prevail’, his human rights agenda basically went on a downward spiral from that time onwards," he said.
Jose Noel Olano, AI Philippines section director said that the Duterte administration "does not know how to listen" and that his human rights agenda has been "on a downward spiral" since his first SONA in 2016.
"It is not only his speeches about keeping our country safe that has become mere lip service but in his audacity to smear human rights, he has rolled back on hard-won human rights protections that are supposed to keep everyone safe, in the first place," Olano said.
"Abandoning human rights values and principles is a failure on his part and comes with a huge cost of essentially guaranteeing that the no one can ever be safe because the country has become a far more dangerous place," he added.
"This situation has given anyone a free rein to commit human rights abuses and violations with impunity where social and political division thrive, leading to greater potential for human rights violations."
"By denying Filipinos of true and lasting justice, this administration will only fuel despair with no limit or end."
Source: GMA
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