Bencyrus Ellorin .
THE Philippine government should now stop crying foul over the UN Human Rights Council resolution that seeks to look into the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.
If indeed it has the morale, legal and political highground in the drive against illegal drugs, it better argue its case as a showcase for the international community.
Outside interference is basically a no-no in foreign relations except when it involves human rights and international humanitarian law, and when there is showing that domestic legal and judicial systems have failed in addressing these issues.
This is because, in our modern and civilized society, the world cannot just turn a blind eye to impunity in violating human rights. The UN body on human rights is there to look into these matters.
What the UN is asking is not a difficult thing to do. As a member of the family of nations, it simply wants to ask a member of the family, the Philippines, to be open about its anti-drugs campaign and to show the world that its approach follows the rule of law.
The President and his diplomats should have an easy time proving the country’s case judging from the way it swats like a fly criticisms by Filipinos to this bloody war on drugs.
If it is really after the welfare of the Filipino people, protecting the future of the youth, the government has little or no choice but comply. It can buy time, roll with the punches a little bit but it cannot ignore forever compliance to the UN resolution.
Non-compliance to UN resolutions won’t bring in a rain of missiles but it would be courting sanctions either economic or political. Either way it would result in our isolation and eventually affect the guts of the people.
Our government, I still believe, have intelligent and well-meaning people to prevent the country from sailing into isolation. Most of the countries that have isolated themselves have either become critically weak or failed states. And the Philippines has already been seen as on the cusp of being a weak state.
(BenCyrus Ellorin is a former journalist. He is now a freelance PR practitioner and development worker.)
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