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

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Harry Roque, spokesperson of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 9:00am, 17 Sep 2021Updated: 8:35pm, 17 Sep 2021

A high-ranking Philippine government official who has repeatedly mocked the United Nations is facing criticism as he seeks a position within the international organisation.

Harry Roque, spokesman of President Rodrigo Duterte and a cabinet member, travelled to New York earlier this week to lobby for a spot in the UN’s International Law Commission.

His announcement was met with derision and disbelief from critics, who said Roque was “unqualified” and “a disgrace”.

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”.