Was Duterte serious about leaving UN? Andanar says he’ll ask

MANILA, Philippines – Will the Philippines really leave the United Nations, or was President Rodrigo Duterte just joking?

In an interview on state-run Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday, August 21, Palace Communications Secretary Martin Andanar was asked if Duterte’s remarks were “serious” or “one of those preposterous statements” he usually makes.

Andanar said he has to double-check.

“I will have to ask the President about it… Bukas po, mayroong Cabinet meeting, tatanungin ko po si Presidente (Tomorrow, we have a Cabinet meeting, I’ll ask the President),” said Andanar.

In an early morning news briefing on Sunday, Duterte again slammed the UN, claiming it has not done anything for the Philippines.

He had also cursed the UN back in June for failing to solve the conflict in the Middle East and not helping the “black people” in Africa.

“Maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations….Take us out, you have not done anything. When were you here the last time? Never. Except to criticize. Food for the world? There’s the world but there’s no food. World hunger organization, maybe. When have you done a good deed to my country?” the President said on Sunday.

Duterte added that the Philippines can even start its own international organization.

“Okay, we go out [of the UN]. And I would invite everybody, maybe China, the Africans. Why don’t we just form another organization?” he said.

UN human rights experts earlier criticized the Philippines’ war on drugs and the spate of extrajudicial killings in the country.

Last June, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon himself strongly condemned what he described as Duterte’s “apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killings.” Duterte’s camp rejected that statement and said the President “will never endorse extrajudicial killings.”

Three days ago, Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said they are investigating 899 drug-related deaths. – Rappler.com