Statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano on Human Rights Watch and Its Strategy of Deception

26 January 2018 — On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch accused us of mounting a strategy of distraction. This, after we challenged it to tell us how it was able to arrive at the thousands it said have been killed in the course of our war against illegal drugs and which it used as basis to support its claim that the human rights situation in the Philippines is at its worst since the time of former President Ferdinand Marcos.

The reason we took Human Rights Watch to task a few days ago was because it has consistently and deliberately been misleading the international community by making it appear that the Philippines has become the Wild, Wild West of Asia where we just kill people left and right.

To make such sweeping accusations without being able to support these claims with facts is not just misrepresentation. It is outright deception. Our only question and challenge to Human Rights Watch is for it to explain how it was able to arrive at its numbers when it has not really done any real investigation on the ground. Instead of just telling us how it was able to come up with its figures, Human Rights Watch unfortunately chose to divert the issue.

The claims of Human Rights Watch that there are more than 12,000 victims in the campaign against illegal drugs could not be possible since this number failed to take into consideration the number of homicides and murders that have also been taking place all across the country. In making such a conclusion, Human Rights Watch is creating the impression that the Philippine Government is engaged in the wholesale slaughter of innocent people. This assertion is false.

It is lamentable that Human Rights Watch continues to insist on its numbers even when official figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority already show that during the first five years of the Aquino Administration from 2010 to 2015, the Philippines already recorded a total of 79,417 homicides and murders or an average of 13,236 per year. Statistics from the Philippine National Police, on the other hand, show a total of 77,468 murders and homicides for the same period or an average of 12,911 per year during the same period.

From the time President Duterte assumed office on 01 July 2016 until 27 November 2017, the Philippine National Police recorded a total of 18,491 homicides. The numbers include 3,968 drug suspects who were killed in 80,683 police operations conducted during this period. This means there is one unfortunate death for every 20 presumed law enforcement operations conducted. These operations also resulted in the arrest of 119,023 drug personalities. This means that for every drug personality killed in a police operation, there were 30 others who were taken into custody.

Of course, there is no perfect law enforcement system. While we strive to ensure that we respect the rights of everyone, including criminal suspects, the reality is that illegal drug syndicates are also capable of unleashing violence. In their undue haste to criticize the Philippine Government, Human Rights Watch and other groups conveniently ignored the right of our law enforcement officers to protect themselves. Eighty-six police officers and soldiers actually lost their lives and another 226 were wounded when drug personalities chose to fight back instead of giving up.

In its rush to condemn the Philippine Government, Human Rights Watch also ignored our obligation to ensure that Filipinos are able to live in peace, safety and security. It set aside the countless stories of victims of the unspeakable crimes committed by those who sell and use illegal drugs such as the gang rapes and killings by methamphetamine-crazed individuals of children and even their own family members.

Instead of outrightly crucifying us, Human Rights Watch may perhaps wish to hear the stories of these victims so that it would be able to understand the extent of the problem that we are confronted with. It should also ask ordinary Filipinos how they feel about their government’s efforts to ensure their personal safety and security.

If Human Rights Watch decides to take a closer look, it would discover that majority of Filipinos actually feel much safer now as a result of our government’s efforts to address the problem of illegal drugs. If it would bother to check, it would know that there is an 8.44 percent decline in crime volume from January to October 2016 to January to October 2017 and a 20.56 decrease in index crime during the same period.

If Human Rights Watch would care to ask, it will be told about the results of a Pulse Asia survey conducted in the third quarter of 2017 that showed an overwhelming 88 percent supporting the government’s campaign against illegal drugs. It will also see the results of a Social Weather Station Survey conducted during the same period showing a 77 percent public satisfaction rating for our anti-illegal drugs campaign.

It is about time Human Rights Watch stops politicizing the war we are waging against illegal drugs at the expense of the Philippines and the Filipino people. And it owes the Philippines and the rest of the international community not just an explanation but also an apology for making unfair accusations by skewing the real numbers just so it could advance its own agenda. END