Harry Roque has no place in the International Law Commission!

Malaya Movement USA statement on Harry Roque and the ILC

The Malaya Movement USA joins the Filipino people and many human rights advocates around the world in calling on the United Nations International Law Commission to vote no on Herminio “Harry” Roque Jr’s candidacy to the ILC. Apologists of human rights violations and tyranny like Harry Roque are in no position to encourage the progressive development of international law and its codification. On the contrary, Harry Roque’s potential entry into the ILC is not only a disservice to the victims of human rights violations in the Philippines, but a threat to human rights and international humanitarian law everywhere.

Harry Roque’s role as the spokesperson of Philippine tyrant Rodrigo Duterte is no secret. Harry Roque, as Duterte’s mouth piece, has echoed Duterte’s anti-human rights, anti-democratic rhetoric and policies such as Duterte’s war on drugs, attacks on the press, misogyny against women and the red tagging of activists and human rights defenders.

Recently, Harry Roque was protested by activists at his lavish cocktail reception organized by the Philippine Mission in New York City. The protest was led by activists from Malaya Movement USA and BAYAN USA. At the protest Harry Roque’s security agents aggressively and violently pushed the activists out of the restaurant causing some injury on the side of the activists. Harry Roque tried to spin this situation to make it seem like the activists attacked the workers of the restaurant. This is a good example of what Roque does: spread disinformation and spin lies.

We also call out Harry Roque for his lavish dinner in New York. Despite denials from him, we reiterate the demand for him to show the receipts and answer to the Filipino who have the right to know how their taxes are being spent. Especially in the midst of a pandemic and economic crisis, it is the height of insensitivity for Harry Roque to splurge on this dinner using the people’s money for his efforts to get a seat at the ILC. Corrupt officials of the Philippines are no stranger to lavish and expensive dinners - former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo spent nearly a million dollars at a New York restaurant in 2009 in the face of increasing poverty and hunger back home. It is an insult to the Filipino people who continue to suffer due to mismanagement of funds by the government.

We call on our people to emulate the example of the activists in New York and New Jersey and protest Duterte’s minions everywhere. We also reiterate the demand for Roque to show the receipts of his lavish dinner. Lastly, we reiterate our appeal to government missions to reject Roque’s candidacy to the ILC!

#RejectRoque
#RoqueOutofILC
#StopTheKillingsPH
#DuterteWakasanNa