IN the face of a blistering, profanity-laced attack from President Rodrigo Duterte, European Union Ambassador Franz Jessen said it was the regional bloc’s moral obligation to raise human rights concerns in the Philippines, saying these cut across other bilateral concerns such as development and trade.
In a roundtable discussion, Jessen also said that the EU has never forced any countries to do things but reminded the Philippines that, on its own, was one of the signatories of the 27 international treaties and conventions on human rights, labor rights, environment and governance.
“The European Union is a union of values. We were born our of a peace process in Europe. We work based on shared values in order to have sustainable peace and development in Europe. That’s the whole purpose of our existence in Europe and we think it’s very valid foundation for our existence,” Jessen said.
He also cited the long history of strong relations between the EU and the Philippines.
“We have a close partnership that has developed for over many, many years. And in that partnership we have a tradition of being frank and open in our discussions…with the Philippines. It is not only us talking about human rights in the Philippines, but you are rightly very concerned about the welfare of your citizens in Europe,” he said.
The EU has been vocal against Duterte’s anti-drug campaign and the spate of reported killings since he assumed his office in June.
Over the past months, the EU has reminded the Philippines that it is one of the signatories to the 27 international treaties and conventions and that it vowed to comply on human rights, labor rights, environment and governance in turn of a duty-free access among 6,274 eligible products to EU market.
In the last week, Duterte has issued strong statements against the EU.
Duterte recently said he would be happy to hang EU officials who opposed his effort to revive the death penalty.
“I will just be happy to hang you. If I have the preference, I’ll hang all of you,” Duterte had said last Friday in an arrival statement after his visit to Myanmar and Thailand.
“You are putting us down. You are exerting pressure in every country with the death penalty,” he added.
Even before that, the President has been asking the US and the EU to leave the Philippines alone.
Jessen again denied the President’s statement that the EU had tried to convince him to set up “shabu clinic” where junkies could get their fix in a controlled environment.
He said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella had talked to him to clarifiy that it was not the EU that Duterte was talking about.
“To suggest that we have, the EU member state to suggest to do something illegally in the drug center is simply not correct,” he added.
The EU was the largest exporting partner of the Philippines in January 2017, with almost $900 million or 17.5 percent of total Philippine exports.
Despite Duterte’s recent attacks, Jessen said that the relationship between the EU and the Philippines remained strong.
Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, meanwhile, appealed to the EU to set aside politics and pursue its economic priorities with the Philippines.
Business issues should not be linked to non-business issues, he added.
Earlier, the European parliamentarians urged the European Commission to “persuade the Philippines to put an end to extrajudicial killings related to the anti-drug campaign, including, in the absence of any substantive improvements in the next few months, procedural steps with a view to the possible removal of GSP + preferences.”
The Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus GSP+ has given the Philippines the privilege to export products to EU-member countries at zero tariff.
“Let us take away non-trade issues,” Lopez said.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said the EU had no moral right to interfere on how the country handles its illegal drug problem.
He noted that many of the EU member-countries allow the use of dangerous drugs. “What do they want, [for us] to be like them?” Sotto said.