ILOILO CITY — Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Saturday appealed to the United Nations’ (UN) human rights chief to respect the democracy of the Philippines.
His statement came after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein on Friday suggested President Rodrigo R. Duterte “to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric examination”.
Roque said the UN High Commissioner’s language was not just an insult to the Philippines and the Filipino people but to all countries who have democratically elected their heads of state.
“I reiterate that the language used by the High Commissioner is uncalled for. I’m very tempted to respond in similar language but I have opted to restrain myself, opting not to respond in the same ad hominem used by the UN High Commissioner,” he said in a press briefing held in the municipal hall of Alimodian, Iloilo.
“We respect our President in our country because we gave him a democracy to lead and I would hope that although you do not have the same democratic system in your home country, Jordan, you will respect the kind of democracy that we have in the Philippines,” he said.
Unlike the Philippines, the Presidential spokesperson said, the home-state Jordan of the UN High Commissioner does not have democracy thus, their leader is not elected.
Roque is in Alimodian, Iloilo for the start of Himud-os Festival.
On Friday night, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also took exception to “irresponsible and disrespectful” comments of the UN official against the President.
“This action of High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein is completely uncalled for and demeans not only the Head of State of a Member-State, but tarnishes the reputation of the Office of the High Commissioner,” Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement. (PNA)
