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The Philippines will never allow other countries to dictate the Duterte administration in the wake of 39 United Nations member-states expressing concern over government's war on illegal drugs.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, in a statement on Friday, said the government would be happy to accept help from the "foreign friends" in addressing the scourges of drugs, corruption and criminality.

"But we will never accept dictation on how we are managing our own internal domestic processes," he said.

Abella issued the statement after the 39 members of the UN raised concern over the drug-related killings during the recent Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council.

While there were 39 countries, which raised concern, he said, "the fact remains that the UN Human Rights Council, the highest peer review body in the world on all matters of human rights, unanimously accepted and commended the Outcome Report on the Philippines' UPR."

He claimed that the Philippine accomplishments in the field of human rights were "well recognized."

Abella lamented some parties apparently still refuse to understand certain aspects of the government's human rights efforts.

"So let us be clear. There is no culture of impunity in the Philippines. The State is investigating all credible allegations of human rights violations by all its agents and will continue to do so, consistent with our constitution and laws, and in compliance with the spirit of our national traditions of liberty and democracy," he said.

"The truth is: Our justice system does not tolerate any state-sponsored extrajudicial killings," Abella stressed.

He challenged those making accusations about the extrajudicial killings and circumventing police procedures to go to competent courts.

"(A)nd if found meritorious should result in appropriate sanctions against the perpetrators. Failing these, such claims are mere hearsay," he said.

Abella also slammed the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development for looking at the "glass half-empty rather than half full.

"In conclusion, rest assured that we will be unswerving in carrying out our duty to protect our people from the scourges of drugs, corruption and criminality so that with inclusive development and social justice, they may attain lives of dignity in a prosperous nation," he said.

Abella said the Palace welcomes Senate Resolution 518 “condemning in the strongest sense the extrajudicial killings.

"The Executive shares the expressed concern of the Senate on the recent spate of drug-related deaths and similarly condemns extrajudicial killings," he said.

But he reiterated that the extrajudicial killings were not state-sanctioned, noting the "relentless effort" on the part of the Philippine National Police to carry out their operations properly and within legal processes.

While President Rodrigo Duterte is harsh against those involved in illegal drugs, he said the President is "equally appalled by misdemeanors of police scalawags.

"We thus welcome the Senate’s investigations and inquiries on erring police personnel as a manifestation of a freely functioning and democratic State mechanism," he said.

Citing that Duterte was firm on the need to cleanse the police of its misfits, Abella said over 1,900 drug-related investigations of allegations against law enforcement officials have been carried out between July 1, 2016 and June 15, 2017 by the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS).

Of this total, 1,045 cases have moved to the administrative proceedings stage and 159 law enforcement officials face dismissal from service, with many others undergoing pre-charge investigations or summary hearings, he said.

"These erring persons in uniform do not have a place in a State organization which is a human rights duty-bearer, with a primary role to protect the right to life, liberty, and property of the people by way of an effective anti-illegal drug campaign," he added. Celerina Monte/DMS