THE Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) has registered its “strong objection” to the nomination of Presidential Spokesperson Herminio “Harry” Roque to the Internal Law Commission (ILC) due to his pronouncements defending President Duterte’s alleged human rights violations and undermining the supremacy of international law.
In a three-page letter dated September 12, the FLAG said Roques does not have the qualifications for a seat at the ILC.
“Mr. Roque does not possess the qualifications for a seat at the Commission. While he has degrees in law and has taught Public International Law, he is a political partisan who has actively demonstrated contempt for the rule of law and, with specific relevance to the Commission, has undermined the supremacy of human rights and international law,” the FLAG said through its Chairman Jose Manuel Diokno.
“FLAG respectfully asks the Commission to peremptorily disregard the nomination of Mr. Roque and remove him from consideration for a seat in the Commission,” it added.
The FLAG noted that Roque’s documented pronouncements defending extrajudicial killings, belittling the competence and jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) disqualify him for the work of the commission.
Roque has been the spokesperson of President Duterte from October 2017 until 2018 and returned as spokesperson in April 2020.
“His pronouncements have been made, alternately, with sneering contempt for the plight of victims or a callous attempt to justify the same with misplaced humor. He has used his knowledge of international law to undermine the protections that international law provides under a regime of human rights and the rule of law,” FLAG stressed.
If he becomes a part of the ILC, the FLAG believes that Roque would “bring no honor to the post he seeks, instead he will tarnish the same irreparably.”
They believe that Roque made such statements and actions in order to bolster his chances to win an elective position in the 2022 polls.
It has been reported that the Presidential Spokesperson is one of those being considered by the PDP-LABAN Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi wing as one of its senatorial candidates for the coming 2022 elections.
“His motivations for doing so are clearly for political gains as he has not been discreet about his plans to seek elective office,” it added.
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