The United Nations and the Philippine government have come to blows over the treatment of human rights investigators, with UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein saying that the country’s president, Rodrigo Duterte, needs a psychiatric evaluation. In a petition filed in a Manila court last month, the department of justice listed more than 600 people it wanted to be categorised as rebels for “using acts of terror” to undermine the government. Among them was the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, for allegedly being a senior member of the Maoist rebel group. Philippine foreign minister Alan Peter Cayetano hit back on Saturday at Hussein for “irresponsible and disrespectful” comments about Duterte. Cayetano said the Philippines was bothered by “the manner in which a ranking UN human rights official can overstep his mandate”.