MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday criticized a militant organization for reporting cases of political killings to a United Nations office.

Karapatan Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights earlier submitted a report to the office of Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, on at least 47 cases of killings attributed to the government’s anti-insurgency campaign.

The victims of the killings were mostly peasants and indigenous peoples, according to Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, however, said Karapatan’s move was questionable, “considering that our own justice system and domestic institutions are more than adequate to judge the matter.”

“It is not the policy of the Duterte administration to violate citizens' human rights,” Abella said in a statement.

“To attribute the killings to government is a serious allegation, contrary to President Duterte's stand that ‘our principled position (is) that disputes should be settled in a peaceful manner.’”

The Duterte government and communist rebels recently resumed negotiations to end one of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies. The talks were suspended after New People’s Army rebels clashed with government troops.

Duterte has scoffed at criticisms from foreign institutions, especially on his controversial war on drugs.

The UN had been at the receiving end of Duterte’s several tirades after Callamard warned the Philippine government of the alleged human rights violations in the war on drugs.

Callamard has expressed interest to visit the Philippines and investigate the drug war-related killings, but the government has set conditions for her visit.

“The Philippines is a sovereign and democratic state. President Duterte has been open to any investigation but he has also set conditions for any international body to come in and interfere with its domestic affairs,” Abella said.