President Duterte is seriously considering to cut the Philippines’ diplomatic ties with Iceland after it initiated a resolution urging the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to look into the human rights situation in the Philippines under the controversial drug war.
In a speech during the 80th-anniversary celebration of DZRH, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo confirmed that Duterte is thinking of putting an end to the 20-year diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Iceland.
“Sabi niya ho sa akin eh (The President told me), ‘I want to vent my ire on Iceland. Tell the public I’m considering seriously cutting diplomatic ties with Iceland,'” Panelo said in his speech, recalling the words of the President.
In a statement Monday evening, Panelo said that the adopted Iceland resolution is grotesquely one-sided, outrageously narrow, and maliciously partisan.
“It reeks of nauseating politics completely devoid of respect for the sovereignty of our country. It is bereft of the gruesome realities of the drug menace in the country,” he said.
“It smacks of politicization designed to force our free state to be subservient to their imagined superiority,” he added.
READ: Locsin: Here's Why the PH said 'No' to the Iceland Resolution by the UN's Human Rights Council
On Monday, Panelo said that Malacañang said it is open to the suggestion to cut the country’s 20-year diplomatic ties with Iceland if they would only interfere with the affairs of a sovereign state like the Philippines.
“Hindi masama. Eh kung gumagawa sila ng mga deklarasyon na labag sa ating kasarinlan at pumapasok sila sa loob ng pamamaraan ng pamahalaan upang sirain ang sindikato ng droga sa ating bansa na sumisira sa halos buong pamilya ng ating bayan, eh, baka kailangan na rin (It’s not a bad idea. If they will make declarations that will interfere with our sovereignty and meddle with how we deal with the illegal drugs problem, then maybe we should just cut ties with them),” he said.
“Hahayaan natin ang Pangulo ng bansa na magbigay ng kanyang pantapos na posisyon dito–final decision on this matter. Sapagkat siya ang pangunahing arkitekto ng ating foreign policy sa ating bayan (We will allow the President to make a final decision on the matter because he is the chief architect of our foreign policy),” he added.
Seventeen other countries backed Iceland’s resolution to probe Duterte’s drug war. These countries are Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Uruguay.
READ: Lawmakers: Iceland has ‘More Killings in Abortion’ than Philippines’ dead drug dealers
A total of 18 countries voted in favor of the resolution while 14 thumbed it down. Fifteen countries abstained.
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This article first appeared on Manila Bulletin.
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