Malacañang on Friday dismissed a Human Rights Watch (HRW) Report that said the human rights crisis in the Philippines under President Duterte was at its worst since the time of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

“That’s fiction,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said without elaborating.

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Roque, who is also the President’s adviser on human rights, has defended his boss from allegations that he is a rights violator. He said the policy of Mr. Duterte, blamed for the deaths of thousands of drug suspects, was to protect the police in killings committed during legal engagements.

He earlier blasted HRW for ignoring the Duterte administration’s efforts to clean up the police ranks. —LEILA B. SALAVERRIA AND NESTOR CORRALES

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