In UN speech, Rodrigo Duterte defends drug war and Philippines' claims in South China Sea
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has a history of bashing the United Nations, so it was to be expected that his first address to its General Assembly would raise eyebrows.
Duterte did not disappoint on Tuesday as he defended his controversial drug crackdown, dismissed criticism from human rights advocates and underscored his country's claims in the South China Sea.
"The Philippines will continue to protect the human rights of its people, especially from the scourge of illegal drugs, criminality and terrorism," Duterte told the assembly in a pre-recorded message, complaining that "interest groups have weaponised human rights" to discredit his government.
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He expressed openness to "constructive engagement" with the UN, but only if there is "objectivity, non-interference, non-selectivity and genuine dialogue".
Duterte, who took office in 2016, often lashes out at what he decries as international meddling in Philippine domestic affairs. Western governments and human rights groups see it as expressing justifiable alarm about an anti-drug crusade that has left more than 5,700 mostly poor suspects dead.
While most of his predecessors have spoken during the General Assembly, Duterte's address came after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged him to "bring to justice the perpetrators and to halt the use of rhetoric inciting violence against people who use or sell drugs".
Previous interventions by the UN have met a fierce response from Duterte; in 2016 just months into his presidency, he threatened to pull out of the UN after its human rights body criticised the drug war. Last year, following a similar exchange, he pulled out of the UN's International Criminal Court, where a case against the drug war remains pending.
Despite Duterte's strained history with the UN, he struck a more conciliatory tone on Tuesday as he discussed the coronavirus pandemic, which has taken a great human and economic toll on the Philippines.
"The Philippines values the role that the United Nations plays in its fight against the pandemic," Duterte said, welcoming the UN's launch of a relief fund and called on the international community to make sure potential vaccines are accessible to all.
Duterte also highlighted Philippine health care workers' contribution to the fight against the virus at home and around the world.
Anticipation over what Duterte might say had been growing because of the pressure he has faced domestically to speak out about a UN court's 2016 ruling that went against Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea. On Tuesday, Duterte said "we firmly reject attempts to undermine" the ruling, delivered under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
"The Philippines affirms that commitment in the South China Sea in accordance with UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award," he said.
"The award is now part of international law, beyond compromise and beyond the reach of passing governments to dilute, diminish or abandon. We firmly reject attempts to undermine it.
"We welcome the increasing number of states that have come in support of the award and what it stands for - the triumph of reason over rashness, of law over disorder, of amity over ambition. This - as it should - is the majesty of the law."
The case was taken to the UN by Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, and was seen as a landmark victory for the Philippines when the court found China's territorial claims - which Beijing marks on maps using a nine-dash line covering the vast majority of the sea - had no basis.
China refused to participate in the arbitration, dismissed the ruling as a "sham" and continues to defy it.
However, Duterte - who came to power soon after the ruling - has largely kept quiet about the decision to avoid upsetting Beijing. At the same time he has talked of pivoting his country away from its traditional ally the United States and towards China.
He also made reference to the US-China rivalry and its potential to affect smaller nations, saying: "Escalating tensions benefit no one. New flashpoints heighten fears and tend to tear peoples apart. When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled flat."
Lauro Baja, centre, during his time as a diplomat for the Philippines. Photo: Reuters alt=Lauro Baja, centre, during his time as a diplomat for the Philippines. Photo: Reuters
'BETTER LATE THAN NEVER'
Retired ambassador Lauro Baja, who once served as the Philippines' permanent representative to the United Nations and twice as president of the UN Security Council, said the arbitral ruling "should have been raised three years ago" when the Philippines won the case.
"Now, it's late but better late than never," Baja told the South China Morning Post.
A month ago, former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario, retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio and retired Ombudswoman Conchita Carpio-Morales issued a joint statement urging Duterte to raise the arbitral ruling before the General Assembly.
Philippine foreign secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr. Photo: AP alt=Philippine foreign secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr. Photo: AP
At the time Duterte's foreign secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr had advised against that course of action, saying on Twitter the Philippines risked "losing in the UN, which is dominated by countries grateful to China for its indisputable generosity in development aid".
However, Duterte at times ignores Locsin's advice, including the foreign secretary's recent suggestion that he follow the American example of blacklisting Chinese companies which had helped build China's artificial military islands in the South China Sea.
GENERAL DEBATE
Every year, as part of the General Assembly, there is a general debate in which heads of state, governments or delegates are given an opportunity to address the assembly.
Heads of states are given preference to speak first and are given no time limit. Foreign policies are often discussed and if another country deems what was said to be unfair it is given a right to reply after all the other speeches have finished.
This year because the assembly is taking place mostly virtually, many of the heads of state are delivering pre-recorded speeches.
Speeches in previous years have occasionally proved controversial. In 2012, then Pakistan president Asif Zardari delivered a speech before the General Assembly castigating the UN, saying, "Kashmir remains a symbol of the failure, rather than strength, of the UN system."
This year's general debate will run until September 26.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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