Malaca?ang expressed support on Tuesday on the proposal of Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the Philippines to pull out of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said IPU has been interfering in the country's

sovereignty.

"Well, from the very start, our position is: No international human rights organization has jurisdiction over us. They have been giving conclusions even prior to the investigations and they’ve been besmirching this country; that is precisely why we do not want them to be doing that. And I support the call of Speaker Arroyo," he said.

Arroyo has said the IPU has been meddling in the country's internal affairs after calling for the release of opposition Senator Leila de Lima from detention and expressing concern over the revival of the Duterte administration on the rebellion and coup d'etat cases against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

She has urged the Senate leadership to withdraw from the global parliamentary community.

Panelo said IPU's position against the Duterte administration apparently showed that the judicial system in the country has not been working.

"In effect they are saying that the court that has acquired jurisdiction over De Lima was wrong in determining probable cause. And there’s ongoing trial, and then they are saying already that, ‘No, they were not given fair trial'," he said.

"They’ve been giving pre-judgments. And to our mind, that’s an intrusion, an insult, offensive to the decency of this country, as well as an intrusion to our sovereignty," Panelo added. Celerina Monte/DMS