The president admitted that he was only cracking a joke but insisted that the UN must know how to behave.
President Rodrigo Duterte clarified that his warning of pulling out Philippines’ membership to the United Nations Organization (UN) was just a joke but he insisted that the organization must know their limits in dwelling with the country’s domestic affairs.
Duterte explained that once the Philippines separates from the UN, it has no other international organization to go.
“Di ka marunong mag-biro pa (Don’t you know how to joke)? Where will we join? The association of the sunken?” Duterte told reporters Tuesday when asked if he was serious about his threat to pull the Philippines out of the UN.
“They (UN) should behave the way they should behave,” he added.
Duterte insisted that the UN should not intervene in the affairs of the Philippines. He also lashed at UN special rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard, who called on the administration to protect all persons from extrajudicial executions.
“Do not do that because you are addressing me as president and you’re pointing to the police structure. This is a government,” the tough-talking president said.
Despite admission of cracking a joke, however, UN special rapporteur on summary execution Agnes Callamard expressed that the international body is worried in the continuing and increasing number of extra-judicial killings in the country which come alongside with the Philippines government’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Duterte said Callamard should have asked guidance from her superiors.
“There has to be a superior who will write a letter. Or there should be respect before saying anything about genocide,” he said, adding that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon should have written the letter.
Callamard, whose statement was posted on the website of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, did not say anything about genocide.
On Sunday, Duterte said the Philippines should just bolt the UN after the international agency criticized the spate of killings that have been attributed to the administration’s anti-drug war.
The president said the UN keeps on picking on his war on drugs but has failed to stop unspecified killings in the Middle East and other parts of the world.
