Vice President Leni Robredo on Saturday said she does not agree with President Rodrigo Duterte's remark that "criminals have no humanity."
"Iyon iyong paniniwala niya pero hindi ako sang-ayon. Hindi ako sang-ayon sa sabi niya na iyong mga kriminal, walang humanity. Gaya ng sinabi ko kanina, iyong human rights, inherent iyan sa atin bilang tao," Robredo said during an interview in Cebu City.
She said no one has the authority to strip people, including criminals, of their rights.
"Dahil inherent iyan sa atin, wala sa kamay ng kahit na sinong tao, wala sa kamay ng kahit anong batas iyong pagtanggal ng karapatan na iyan. Kasi mula nang tayo’y ipinanganak hanggang tayo ay mamatay, iyong karapatan na iyan, nakadikit iyan sa ating pagkatao," she added.
Duterte made the remark as a response to a Human Rights Watch report which said that the administration's war on drugs is a war against humanity.
Duterte said that he is accountable for deaths related to the administration’s war on drugs, but he insisted that those who were summarily executed were not sanctioned by the government.
Meanwhile, Robredo believed that 117-page HRW's report, "License to Kill," should not be set aside.
"Hindi ito pwedeng i-brush off, dahil una hindi ito isolated report, ito ay pangalawa nang report galing sa isang independent na body. Kung maaalala natin iyong Amnesty International mayroon na siyang naunang report na sinusubukan din na i-sweep under the rug," she said.
The Amnesty International earlier released a report, saying that many drug-related killings were extrajudicial executions that directly implicate the police.
Robredo said these reports were made to call the attention of the government to act against human rights violations.
"Ang human rights kahit pa ano ka, kahit pa sino ka, ke mayaman ka o mahirap, ano man ang iyong political inclinations, iyong human rights is something inherent to us. Hindi iyon naaalis, kahit nga convicted criminal mayroon ngang human rights na kailangang ino-observe," she insisted
SOURCE: GMA