MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday described as "highly misplaced" a report by a United Nations special rapporteur that attributed the detention of Sen. Leila de Lima, the ouster of former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and the filing of charges against Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa to supposed efforts to silence the government's critics.
De Lima, Sereno and Ressa were included in a 20-page report by UN special rapporteur Michel Frost about the situation of female "human rights defenders" in the Philippines.
The report, which was submitted to the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council, claimed women leaders who represent their groups and speak out on issues "tend to be targeted for their visibility — not only to silence them but also to discourage broader dissent."
According to Frost, De Lima was detained in 2017 for criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs, a campaign that has left more than 5,000 people dead, based on police data.
While the court has not ruled on De Lima's case, Frost concluded that the senator has been held "on politically motivated, non-bailable charges."
Frost also said Duterte called for Sereno's ouster after she had objected to his policies. He claimed Sereno's removal as chief justice was "widely considered unconstitutional."
He also claimed that the filing of charges against Ressa, who has been accused of cyber libel and tax evasion, "is considered political persecution in response to critical reporting on the government."
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Frost's report was "highly misplaced" because it was "based on fake information supplied by partisan groups who are after political mileage."
He said blaming De Lima's detention, Sereno's ouster and Ressa's cases on the government and alleging that they were intended to discourage dissent "are the same false narratives peddled by the usual cynics of the administration."
"The events that led to the present circumstances of these personalities are products of their own doing which all took place prior to the assumption of (President Duterte) to the presidential seat," Panelo said.
Panelo said de Lima allowed the proliferation of drugs in the national penitentiary when she was justice secretary while Sereno did not provide complete copies of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth when she applied as chief justice. Ressa, meanwhile, did not pay correct taxes and published "libelous articles" against a private citizen, Panelo added.
"The administration should not be blamed if it enforces the law more rigorously than its predecessors. The administration should likewise not be blamed if its critics have issues following the law," the presidential spokesman said.
"The fact that Senator De Lima, Atty. Sereno and Ms. Ressa are critics of the administration is of no moment and absolutely unrelated to the criminal charges they are facing," he added.
Panelo said the government would prosecute violators of the law regardless of their social and political status.
"The UN special rapporteur should — and must — consciously, efficiently and thoroughly verify the facts and circumstances surrounding the aforementioned personalities before reports on their situation are published so as not to stain the integrity and credibility of his office," he added.