SENATE President Vicente Sotto III said Monday he would not be surprised if Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. proceeds to formalize the Philippines’ withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
He expressed hope the body would revisit its voting rules, following last week’s “minority vote” where only 18 of the 47 council members favored investigation of the Philippines’ drug war-related killings, but the UNHRC adopted the resolution.
“Well, that’s precisely what the United States did,” Sotto said of America’s earlier pullout. “They have dismembered themselves from the UNHRC and the reason they gave is that it is [a] hypocritical and self-serving group and it’s making a mockery of human rights. That’s the exact wordings of the United States.”
The Senate leader added: “So I will not be surprised if Secretary Locsin will follow suit considering the way they were, all of a sudden, handling the resolution from Iceland and not even getting the majority of the members of those present in the quorum and saying that it is a UNHRC resolution.”
Sotto suggested that the council members “review their rules because the rules that they are following is illogical.”
With only 18 voting in favor, 14 against and 15 abstaining, he noted that “therefore of 47 members, only 18 members approved it [and the rest] disapproved. Why? An abstention is a no. Everybody in the parliament knows that – you did not agree.”
He gave “a better example: if there is a quorum of 50, one agreed to approve, 49 abstained, is the resolution carried? Based on the rules, that they have, it is. So it’s illogical. “
The Senate leader declared, “I will not be surprised and I will be supportive of any decision that Secretary Locsin will arrive at.”
Sotto indicated it is up to the Duterte administration to decide the next move.
“It’s up to the DFA because last year we paid the United Nations $8.2-million mandatory contribution. We will be saving the country P445 million a year if we detached ourselves from the UN.”
At the same time, he allayed concerns the move could send a negative message to the international community, citing the earlier US withdrawal.
“Did they say that against the United States? Umalis sila sa UNHRC. Depende pero tinanong ba nila sa US yan? Hindi naman, ah [They left the UNHRC. Did they ask the US?]” Sotto said
He does not foresee a fallout. “Wala [None]. I don’t think so. Not at all. As a matter of fact it might give them a chance to review and take a hard look at the mirror, the UNHRC. Take it from what the United States said, they are making a mockery of human rights.”