Karapatan chided Duterte in his speech referring to human rights issues during his 3rd State of the Nation as “mere rhetoric, meant to appease public outrage over rights violations.”
“Duterte’s take on human rights vis-à-vis human lives just emphasized how oblivious he is on the subject. This is expected from someone infamous for rights violations and for enabling more butchers in the police and military. It baffles us how someone who backed and directed the killing of thousands of Filipinos can muster the audacity to claim that he’s fighting for human lives. He’s utterly shameless,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay.