Philippine president slams ‘inutile’ UN
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has lashed out at the United Nations (UN) for calling on him to stop a wave of killings attributed to his war on drugs.
“Maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations,” Duterte said on Sunday following a UN statement urging Manila to put an end to the alleged extrajudicial killings of individuals linked to illegal drugs.
Duterte said the UN statement, which came out last week, was against protocol.
In the statement, UN special rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and Dainius Puras called on the Philippine government to stop the alleged extrajudicial executions and killings that they said have escalated since Duterte won the presidency on May 9.
Duterte on Friday denied that the government or police forces were involved in such killings.
The firebrand president, who has been nicknamed by media as “The Punisher,” is known for his unorthodox methods and support for the death penalty.
He was the long-time mayor of the country’s most dangerous city, Davao City, where he largely eliminated criminal activities.
The 71-year-old lawyer and politician said if the UN returned the money his country has paid the body over the years, Manila would consider leaving the international organization. He said the Philippines would set up an alternative to the UN with the help of China and African countries.
In his Sunday's remarks, he described the UN as an ‘inutile’ organization that has failed to carry out its duties and is instead “worrying about the bones of criminals piling up.”
He then went on to criticize the UN for not doing enough to address hunger and terrorism and for not being able to do anything about Syria and Iraq.
“I do not want to insult you… United Nations, if you can say one bad thing about me, I can give you 10 (about you). I tell you, you are inutile. Because if you are really true to your mandate, you could have stopped all these wars and killings,” he said.
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