Dispatch from Crame No. 200
Sen. Leila M. de Lima's Statement on Cayeyano's Defense of the Philippine Vote on the UN Rohingya Resolution

11 / 22 / 17

Secretary Cayetano's warped logic on the Philippines' Rohingya vote in the UN masks the real reason for the Philippines' "no" vote. And this is simply to avoid having the finger pointed at the Duterte regime for its own quasi-genocidal crimes against humanity in its drug war. Indeed, what right has the Philippines to call on Myanmar to allow international aid to the Rohingyas when its own President regularly curses and bad-mouths UN officials whenever investigation on his regime's EJKs comes up.

Cayetano says the Philippines voted "no" on the UN Resolution to allow international aid and action to the Rohingyas so it would not intimidate Myanmar, which could preclude the entry of international monitors observing the Rohingya situation on the ground.

Cayetano's logic is simply this: To help the Rohingyas, we must vote not to help them.

Stupid as it sounds, it is classic Cayetano, the King of Oxymorons, who once said that we are as safe as Singapore because bodies are falling like flies on our streets in his master's campaign against drugs.

No amount of doublespeak can justify the Philippine vote, because it is only in accord with the current regime's policy against human rights and international accountability for crimes against humanity.

Cayetano's President has, in so many public speeches even way back, already declared war on human rights. The Duterte regime's vote against the Rohingyas is therefore only in harmony with its murderous policy that condemns human rights by killing its own citizens.

Cayetano need not use warped logic to justify the Philippine vote. He only has to be consistent and cite his government's record that this Philippine administration no longer recognizes human rights, whether domestically or anywhere else in the world.