MANILA, Philippines – The legislative body of San Francisco in the United States adopted a resolution condemning President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody drug war and the detention of opposition Senator Leila de Lima.

The Board of Supervisors of the city and county of San Francisco on April 23 approved a resolution supporting US House Resolution No. 233 authored by Congresswoman Jackie Speier and US Senate Resolution No. 142 sponsored by Senator Edward Markey.

The House resolution also called for the immediate release of De Lima while the Senate resolution called on the Philippine government to drop all charges against Rappler and its CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa.

“[T]he Board of Supervisors condemns President Duterte’s drug war that has taken thousands of lives without due process,” the Board resolution read.

The Board pushed for a cut in US aid and called on the US defense department to “divest” from the Duterte administration and the Philippine military and police.

It also urged San Francisco’s federal representatives, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to support “a congressional hearing on the consequences of US tax dollars being used to fund these activities.”

‘Toxic intrusion’

Malacañang on Sunday, April 28, slammed the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for believing “the false narratives” and “the bogus statistics” on Duterte’s drug war.

“The resolution is a toxic and unacceptable intrusion to our legal processes and an outrageous interference with our country’s sovereignty,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

“Like some US Senators, the San Francisco Supervisors have either developed an amnesia or have not outgrown their colonial mentality. They should be shaken from their stupor and wake up to the fact that the Philippines had long ceased to be a colony of the United States and will never be a vassal to it,” he added.

Panelo also denied that the killings in the country are state-sponsored, as he cited the dismissal and prosecution of police officers involved in killings. Some of the cops, however, were just reassigned and recycled. Vigilantes have been reported to have worked with some officials of the Philippine National Police, too. (READ: ‘Some people need killing‘)

Earlier, administration senators, led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, condemned the action of their foreign counterparts and filed a resolution to rebuke US lawmakers for meddling with the country’s affairs. – Rappler.com