President Rodrigo Duterte remains committed to the United Nations (UN), of which the Philippines is a founding member despite his disappointment over the UN’s supposed meddling in the affairs of the country.

The statement was made by Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. in a press statement during a press briefing held at Malacañang Palace, in connection with the reaction of PRRD on Sunday lambasting the UN, when the global body’s supposed rapporteurs attributed the rising death toll to the extrajudicial killings under this administration’s intensified war against illegal drugs.

President Duterte threatened during a dawn press conference on Sunday that the Philippines might just withdraw its UN membership while he criticized the body on what he perceived as irresponsible statements issued by its rapporteurs on summary killings of drug suspects in the Philippines.

Yasay claimed the President’s reaction was a mere “statement expressing profound disappointments and frustrations and it is not any statement that should indicate a threat to leave the United Nations.”

He said, “The President is understandably, extremely disappointed and frustrated with these actions of special rapporteurs in arbitrarily concluding that these drug-related killings were done by or at the instance of law enforcers.”

The foreign affairs chief made an assurance that the President remains committed to the United Nations, its objectives, and purposes. At the same time, he rallied support from members of the international community to join hands in addressing the global drug menace.

“We therefore call the global community to support us not simply to provide lip service in eradicating this urgent international problem towards uplifting the quality of life of the community and families and assure a bright future for their children,” he said. (PND)