Philippines To United Nations "Do Not Interfere With PH War On Drugs"

Philippines Foreign Minister, Perfecto Yasay told the United Nations last Saturday that the Philippine's new president, Rodrigo Duterte's revolutionary war on drugs should not be interfered by the world and his fight with crime.

During the annual U.N General Assembly, Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay declared that Duterte administration is determined to free the Philippines from corrupt and other stagnating practices, including the manufacture, distribution and use of illicit drugs.

"Our actions, however, have grabbed both the national headlines and international attention for all the wrong reasons," he stated.

"We urge everyone to allow us to deal with our domestic challenges in order to achieve our national goals without undue interference."

Duterte already won a landslide election victory on May 9 after promising to the public to wipe out drugs and crime. Police noted that this week and in the past 11 weeks, nearly 3,000 people had been killed in Duterte's war on drugs, a figure adjusted from the 3,800 they cited last week.

The killings have gained international criticism, including from the United Nations, the output of the killings made an angry responses from Duterte.

Thursday, the Philippine president gained insults at U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union, then he invited them to investigate his campaign on drugs.

Yasay stated that Duterte had won "an unprecedented and resounding electoral mandate" and now has a 92 percent approval rating. As such, he delivered a secret call for "change,"

"To him, this trust is sacrosanct," Yasay said. "It cannot be breached, under no circumstance must it be compromised."

By not following high profiled organizations and his insults of anyone from U.S. President Barack Obama to the pope have amused many Filipinos and gained several approval but worried foreign governments -specifically the United States, which sees Manila as a ally in Asia in the face of a rising China.

Some analysts predict Duterte will seek to diversify foreign relations beyond Washington, including by seeking better ties with China.

Yasay added core values that growed in the Philippine constitution included the mandate "to pursue an independent foreign policy, to promote the national interest."

At the same time, he said Manila would still be "a responsible partner of the international community," committed to the rule of law - including an international court ruling this year in favor of the Philippines and against China over competing claims in the South China Sea.

In spite of Duterte's criticisms of the world body, Yasay said the United Nations had demonstrated "continuing resilience and relevance" and added in apparent reference to the U.S. alliance:

"Our domestic concerns compel us to partner with like-minded countries in the areas of maritime security, counter-terrorism, disaster response, and transnational crime."

Source: ABS-CBN