COUNCILOR Danilo C. Dayanghirang has lambasted those criticizing President Rodrigo R. Duterte over the latter’s human rights records.
In a statement released over the weekend, Dayanghirang, also the chair of the Philippine Councilors League, said groups have been out to destroy the leadership of the President as well as the reputation of the country “whom our forefathers proudly fought for, for the Filipino generations to live!”
“Please leave our country alone because we are satisfied with the Duterte brand of leadership including among others matters on human rights, Build, Build, Build programs and other economic reforms,” he said, pointing out that those 16.6 million who voted for the President in the 2016 presidential derby, including himself, believed the President can lead the country to become better for the next generation.
Unlike the critics of the President, Dayanghirang said the President, being a lawyer, “respects human rights at all cost!”
“He (President Duterte) is a lawyer who understands its dynamics, it being highly protected by the Constitution of the Philippines making certain that Filipinos are able to live peacefully and with dignity, safe from the abuse of any individuals or institutions, including the state,” he added.
Dayanghirang, also an official of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, said he believes the President has been “steadfast in upholding human rights even in the context of addressing drug war in the country contrary to the intricate image thrown against him.”
He also supported the statement of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that “the Philippines adhere to human rights norms and its long track record of constructive engagement with international and regional partners in human rights promotion and protection.”
He said even in the city, where the President was a former mayor for two decades, its city council has its human rights committee whose purpose is to help protect the rights of citizens and “never (in) tolerating human rights abuses but instead (in) promoting it along with all government institutions functioning for the same purpose.”
