Duterte spokesman who mocked the UN now hopes they’ll give him a job
- Harry Roque, who defended the war on drugs and once called the UN’s human rights arm a ‘toothless tiger’, is seeking a role at the International Law Commission
- But protests by Philippine law groups, his quarrel with Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, and regional challengers could come between Roque’s bid to join the agency
His announcement was met with derision and disbelief from critics, who said Roque was “unqualified” and “a disgrace”.
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Roque, 54, a former law professor and congressman, was Duterte’s spokesman from 2017 to 2018, returning to that role in 2020.
He has made numerous sharply-worded statements in defence of his boss. In some instances, he resorted to mockery and bullying tactics, at one time making faces at detractors.
In 2019, while defending Duterte against charges of extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses during the president’s war on drugs, Roque called the UN’s international human rights council a “toothless tiger”. Last year, he said a report on the Philippines by the UN high commissioner on human rights had “faulty conclusions”.
In June, he described the International Criminal Court’s decision to investigate Duterte for crimes against humanity “legally erroneous” and “politically motivated”.
When the ICC announced on Wednesday that it would open a wide-ranging investigation on crimes committed under Duterte – which could see officials facing arrest warrants – Roque reacted the next day by scoffing. He said the case would “go to sleep” because the Duterte administration would refuse to co-operate in gathering evidence.
Roque, a former human rights lawyer, has defended his statements by saying he had ceased the right to air his personal views after becoming Duterte’s spokesman.
In 2011, he had been an enthusiastic advocate of the International Criminal Court, a tribunal in The Hague at which he remains the only Filipino lawyer allowed to appear. As Duterte’s spokesman, Roque supported the country’s pulling out of the court.
“I stand by my personal opinions, but when I became presidential spokesperson, I lost my personal opinions,” he said in 2018. “I can only speak the thoughts of the president; that is the nature of my job.”
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Just before he left for New York, Roque was secretly filmed lashing out at doctors who were calling for a hard lockdown to ease the stress on hospitals and health workers.
Immediately after Roque announced his candidacy, two law organisations wrote to the UN warning against the presidential spokesman.
[Roque] has undermined the supremacy of human rights and international law
The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), a nationwide network of human rights lawyers, sent a letter of objection to all 193 member states of the UN, according to ABS-CBN News.
“Mr Roque does not possess the qualifications for a seat at the commission,” FLAG’s statement said. “While he has degrees in law and taught public international law, he is a political partisan who has actively demonstrated contempt for the rule of law and … has undermined the supremacy of human rights and international law.”
The executive committee of the University of the Philippines (UP), where Roque taught law, said in a statement that “his inclusion in the (UN) committee would not serve its purposes but instead diminish the reputation of the body”.
Roque’s high school, part of the UP system, issued its own statement agreeing with the university’s position.
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The International Law Commission is a 34-member group of legal experts, elected every five years, that helps to draft international law.
According to the ILC website, members of the Commission sit “in their individual capacity and not as representatives of their Governments”.
This year’s vote will take place on November 12, with Roque having until then to make his case to the members of the UN. The Philippine government has submitted a four-page document listing Roque’s qualifications.
Roque said the position he was seeking was “not a full-time job” and came with no salary. “There are only meetings that will be held … a few weeks each year,” he said.
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Lauro Baja, a retired Philippine diplomat who twice served as president of the UN Security Council, noted there were multiple candidates from Southeast Asia.
“UN members frown on electing more than one commissioner from the same subregion, and there are three candidates from Asean … one is a re-electionist, so (Roque’s) chances will depend on whether he is known in the UN legal circles – for example through his participation the Sixth Legal Committee of the General Assembly,” he said.
He added that ILC members “don’t have many perks in terms of salary, but they do enjoy some diplomatic privileges”, as the Swiss government gives them the same immunities and privileges accorded heads of missions accredited to Geneva-based international organisations.
Baja, a former permanent representative of the Philippines to the UN, said having ILC membership could be “a stepping stone to a more prestigious position within the UN system, for example the International Court of Justice”.
“Membership is good for an individual’s CV, and a plus factor also for the country, no matter how we look at the nominee and why he is nominated,” he said. “Unfortunately, intellectual honesty is not among the criteria for ILC membership.”
Baja said Roque’s chances of landing the position, to which he was nominated by Duterte, “will depend on how strong and effective (Foreign Secretary Teodoro) Locsin and the Philippine mission in New York will campaign for him”.
Prolific on Twitter, Locsin has so far not mentioned Roque’s candidacy. Earlier this year, both men had disagreed on how Manila should respond to the new coastguard law of China, with which the Philippines has territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
When Roque suggested the Philippines could bring the case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Locsin tweeted: “I am not listening to Harry Roque. Love the guy but he’s not competent in this field … Harry, lay off.”
Meanwhile in New York, Roque on Wednesday dismissed the backlash from detractors.
“There are some sectors that will do everything to besmirch my good name, reputation and integrity, simply because I do not subscribe to and share their same political beliefs,” he said.
Apart from the ILC post, Roque has also been listed by Duterte’s political party as a candidate for senator in the Philippine presidential election next year.
