The appointment of presidential spokesman Harry Roque as the President’s adviser on human rights is to apparently deodorize the Duterte administration’s unabated violation of human rights and the President’s repeated verbal assaults against critics of his dismal human rights record.

However, after Roque’s human rights advocacy became questionable and suspect when he accepted the role as the President’s mouthpiece, he may become part of the problem, not of the solution, as he is obligated to defend Duterte’s infractions.

Roque’s designation duplicated and overlapped with the duties and functions of the Presidential Human Rights Committee which is the “primary advisory body to the President in effectively addressing all human rights concerns/issues in the country.” This was created by Administrative Order No. 29 on January 27, 2002 and was further amended by Administrative Order No. 163 on December 8, 2006.

The Presidential Human Rights Committee is composed of the Executive Secretary as the Chairman, the Secretary of Justice as Vice-Chairperson, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs as Co-Vice-Chairperson, and the department secretaries of DepED, DILG, DND, DOH, DSWD, and DBM; the Press Secretary, the Director-General of NEDA, the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and the Lead Convenor of NAPC, as members.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN