An international human rights group has called on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to put a spotlight on human rights issues during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) slated on Monday.
On Friday, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the new Philippine leader to show “serious commitment” in addressing concerns on the topic.
“After six years of (Rodrigo) Duterte’s disastrous ‘drug war’ that killed thousands of people, Marcos needs to make a clean break by showing he is serious about accountability for past human rights violations as well as preventing abuses in the future,” the New York-based organization said.
“His nationwide address should be all about how he will protect the rights of all Filipinos, and right past wrongs,” it added.
Some of the human rights issues HRW pointed out were the “unlawful” raids linked to the anti-drug campaign, as well as the drug cases filed against former senator Leila de Lima. An impartial and transparent investigation of alleged extrajudicial killings in the country should also be carried out, it added.
The HRW also urged Marcos to tackle in his speech issues on red-tagging and attacks on media.
The group, in particular, sought the reversal of the decision to close down Rappler, and the move to block websites of some alternative news outlets.
Marcos will deliver his SONA on July 25, nearly a month after formally taking office. Police have vowed tight security for the event, with over 21,000 personnel set to be deployed.
I hope this would resolve a lot of issues in your country.