US House caucus urges Trump raise rights concerns with Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — Ahead of the two leaders’ upcoming meeting, a bipartisan human rights commission in US Congress urged US President Donald Trump to communicate to President Rodrigo Duterte Washington’s “profound concern” over the spate of killings linked to Manila’s brutal drug war.

In a letter dated November 2, Reps. Randy Hultgren (R-Illinois) and James McGovern (D-Massachusetts), co-chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, called on Trump to use his meeting with Duterte as an opportunity to confront the Philippine leader about the reported cases of extrajudicial killings under the crackdown on drugs.

Hultgren and McGovern also informed the American leader about the results of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing early this year, where they learned that police have killed 7,000 suspected drug dealers “without charges or trial.”

Figures from the government's #RealNumbersPH campaign put the number of drug suspects killed in government operations since July 2016 at  3,967. 

READ: Fairness sought in US probe on drug war

Citing the US State Department’s 2016 human rights report, the US lawmakers likewise told Trump about the significant rise in the number of summary executions in the Philippines, which they said was described by the United Nations as an “appalling epidemic.”

“Human rights are fundamental. Every government should afford their citizens the protection and due process of the law,” the congressmen said.

“The Philippines is a valuable ally of the United States and major recipient of US aid.  For these reasons, it is paramount that human rights violations not be the consequences of the Philippines’ ‘war on drugs,’” they added.

“It is the obligation of the United States to advocate for and defend those human rights as set forth in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Earlier, a White House official reportedly said that Trump plans on discussing the human rights situation in the Philippines on his forthcoming meeting with Duterte.

READ: Trump to raise human rights with Duterte at ASEAN Summit

Duterte: Lay off human rights

Duterte and Trump are set to hold their first bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Manila next week.

The two will also meet at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Vietnam this week.

Before leaving for Vietnam on Wednesday, Duterte, who brooks no criticism of his human rights record and war on drugs, said he wants Trump to lay off the topic of human rights during their first bilateral meeting.

“Lay off, that is my business. I take care of my country,” Duterte said.

The maverick Philippine leader earlier incited diplomatic alarm after he announced Manila’s “separation” from its century-old alliance with Washington after former US President Barack Obama criticized the firebrand Philippine leader’s drug war.

Ties between the two countries’ later improved upon Trump’s election victory. In a telephone conversation last April, Trump had told his Philippine counterpart he was doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem.”

‘US must remain a champion of human rights’

In the same letter, Hultgren and McGovern also reminded Trump that while the US sees the Philippines as a key player in resolving conflicts in the region, Washington must remain a “champion of human rights.”

“We certainly recognize the strategic importance of maintaining our strong partnership with the Philippines, especially amid rising tensions in the region over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and Chinese territorial sovereignty issues involving the South China Sea,” they said.

“At the same time, we believe the United States must remain a champion of human rights, due process, and the rule of law,” they added.

“As co-chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, we ask that you raise these concerns in your talks with President Duterte even as you reaffirm the United States’ unwavering commitment to and friendship with the Philippines.”

Trump came under heavy criticism when he invited Duterte to the White House during a telephone conversation in April. He did not say when.

Among those who criticized Trump’s invitation to the firebrand Philippine president was McGovern, who told a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission that he would protest against such a visit.

In response to the lawmaker, Duterte hit back at McGovern and said he would never go to the US, which he called a “lousy” country.