MANILA, Philippines — The progressive group Karapatan criticized the reactions of Sen. Imee Marcos and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict to the call of UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan to have the NTF-ELCAC abolished.
In a statement issued yesterday, Karapatan said it was the Philippine government that officially invited Khan. It also emphasized the obligation to consider and respond to the recommendations of the special rapporteur.
“It (Philippine government) has the obligation to be informed and prodded by the recommendations of the special rapporteur,” the statement read in part.
Karapatan urged the senator and her brother President Marcos, along with the NTF-ELCAC and the Duterte administration, to familiarize themselves with international human rights mechanisms and their responsibilities.
The group asserts that the Marcos administration is grappling with public relations challenges and is aiming to distance itself from the family’s controversial past as well as secure international positions.
It also criticized the government’s attempts to use public relations to cover up the human rights situation in the country.
Karapatan believes that despite the Marcos administration’s efforts during Khan’s visit, the truth about the human rights situation in the country has been exposed.