President Rodrigo Roa Duterte disagreed with the Philippines’ vote favoring the United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) move to probe the recent dispute between Israel and Gaza.
In his press briefing on Thursday (June 17), Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that President Duterte was not consulted regarding the matter. However, the Philippines’ vote cannot be retracted.
“Well, I was correct that normally we leave it to the DFA. However, this is a vote where the President has expressed his concerns on the mechanism and procedure that led to our votes in the UN Human Rights Council,” he said.
According to Sec. Roque, Duterte “made sure” that there will be a “mechanism and procedure as far as voting in crucial issues where the views of the Chief Architect of foreign relations should at least be consulted.”
Meanwhile, he assured that the Philippines value and will continue to “maintain excellent relations” with “all partners in the international community in the pursuit of common goals and objectives grounded on shared values and interest. “
Report from Mela Lesmoras/NGS-rir
