The Samahan ng Mamamayang Nagkakaisa Kontra Terorismo views the visit of United Nation Special Rapporteur Irene Khan to the Philippines from Jan. 22 to Feb. 2 with a positive perspective.
Undersecretary Ernesto Torres, Jr. of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) sees this visit as an opportunity for peaceful dialogue and collaboration. The stakeholders aim to enhance governmental efforts in safeguarding and advancing human rights.
This stands in contrast to the approach of other groups, who intend to spotlight allegations of abuse, violence, harassment, and human rights violations.
Rather than focusing on the negatives, they seek to discourage the UN Special Rapporteur by overlooking the commendable government initiatives dedicated to upholding the rights and welfare of the people. Their emphasis lies on the issues at hand rather than contributing to solutions for counteracting terrorism and violent extremism.
We reject the distortions, deceit, misinformation, and misunderstandings propagated by the underground movement and left-leaning groups regarding the UN Special Rapporteur’s visit.
We urge everyone to embrace the positive aspects of the situation and support the government’s efforts in its pursuit of lasting peace, steering away from protest actions and fact-finding missions that aim to criticize the government and tarnish its image. — ROLLY DULAY, Samahan ng Mamamayang Nagkakaisa Kontra Terorismo
April 29, 2024