MANILA – The United Nations (UN) Committee on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on Wednesday pressed the Duterte administration to counter the “discriminatory impact” of its anti-narcotics drive on poor and marginalized communities.

In a report examining Manila’s compliance to the international treaty on human rights, the UN panel said the poor have been “disproportionately affected” by the vigilante killings of drug suspects, which it said, may been “encouraged and legitimized” by the declarations of top Filipino leaders.

“The Committee is deeply concerned that declarations made by high ranking officials in the context of the "war on drugs" may be seen to encourage and legitimize violence against drug users, including extrajudicial killings,” its report read.

“Indeed, the number of extrajudicial killings of drug suspects has drastically increased in recent months and a large number of people have been arrested and detained in already overcrowded prisons. Poor neighborhoods and individuals have been disproportionately affected in this process.”

UN officials called on the administration to stop any form of violence against drug users, investigate all reported cases, punish the perpetrators.

They added that the Duterte government must “take all necessary measures to ensure that the fight against drug trafficking does not have a discriminatory impact on the poor and marginalized.”

The panel also urged the Philippines to reconsider the criminalization of the possession and use of drugs, saying that this hinder drug users from receiving medical treatment.

The administration, they said, must instead adopt a “right-to-health approach” to drug abuse by increasing treatment services that are “evidence-based and respectful of the rights of drug users.”

EMPOWER RIGHTS DEFENDERS

The UN report also urged the Philippines to step up efforts to support the Commission on Human Rights as it is "not provided with sufficient financial and human resources."

"The Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to ensure that the Commission is explicitly provided with the mandate to deal with economic, social and cultural rights and it is allocated sufficient resources, with the autonomy to plan and manage its own budget," the body said.

Noting the low level of conviction in cases involving the harassment and killing of rights defenders, the UN panel also urged Manila to provide the group with a safe environment.

THE COST OF WAR

ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group's monitoring shows that 2,029 people have been killed in connection with the ongoing war on drugs, between May 10 and October 11.

Fifty-eight percent of the fatalities died evading arrest while 34 percent were murdered by unidentified assailants and eight percent were found dead away from the crime scene.

Duterte promised that 100,000 people would die in his war on crime with so many bodies dumped in Manila Bay that fish would grow fat from feeding on them.

He has also offered bounties to policemen and civilians who kill drug suspects, and has spent much time telling off the UN, CHR, the United States, and the European Union for raising concern over the drug crackdown.

Duterte’s harsh rhetoric has been echoed by top ranking allies, including national police chief, Director General Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who once called on drug users to kill traffickers and burn their homes.

Critics have slammed the supposed unfair treatment between rich and poor drug suspects, an observation that Malacañang sought to refute.

Palace officials also guaranteed that Duterte, a lawyer and former prosecutor, does not condone vigilante killings and that these are being investigated.

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