By Gigie Arcilla/PNA
GENEVA, Switzerland – A Philippine ambassador here on Wednesday said it is always best to verify with the government matters pertaining to human rights and security amid the misinformation of some groups that have influence in countries around the world.
“They constitute a real danger to an effective protection of human rights by legitimate agencies,” said Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, Philippine Permanent Representative to Geneva, in his welcome remarks during a United Nations (UN) Briefing on Peace and Order Situation & Accountability Mechanisms at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Following a human rights briefing in June 2018, Garcia led a Philippine delegation to the UN where senior officials engaged with the UN Office of High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) by headed by Gianni Magazzeni and representatives of around 20 different countries’ Permanent Missions in Geneva.
Philippine presenters include Senior Supt. Omega Jireh Fidel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management; Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; and Undersecretary Joel M. Sy Egco, Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security.
The senior officials briefed the UN representatives on the legal framework and accountability mechanisms that strongly guide Philippine institutions and their constitutional duty to uphold and protect the human rights of Filipinos.
“Dialogue is a necessity in building bridges of understanding among countries,” he said. “Please pay attention to government sources who give information.”
With the increasing misuse of digital and cyber platforms, he said, vigilance against false information is more important than ever.
“The Philippine government is committed to human rights and it is a basis of national government strategy,” he added. “We all want to promote human rights and ensure the safety of our people.”
“Such false narratives are being peddled by sources that include front organizations of the communist terrorist group. Such disinformation seriously challenges and undermines the country’s sincere efforts to uphold and protect human rights,” he said.
Garcia cited the Philippine delegation’s recent meeting with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) in Bosnia where they presented information on 625 cases of disappearances attributed to government forces but happened at the height of the internal purging of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, New People’s Army (NPA) – an organization declared terrorist by no less than the European Union and United States.
