Article by:
Azer Parrocha
MANILA – The Philippines is already acting on alleged human rights abuses in the country, Malacañang said Monday.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, acting presidential spokesperson, made this remark after the European Union (EU) Parliament renewed its call to the Philippines to address human rights abuses or else lose trade privileges under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+).
He echoed the statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) condemning the resolution saying it is a “misguided attempt” to interfere in the national electoral process.
“We wish to reiterate that the government has already taken steps to address the concerns raised by the European Union (EU) Parliament–– issues that we believe are being used by the detractors of the Duterte Administration to color the perceptions of Filipino voters who in May will choose the country’s next leaders,” he said in a Palace press statement.
Citing the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez, Nograles said there is an existing dialogue mechanism between the Philippines and EU Parliament that allows discussion and clarification of the human rights situation and other concerns.
“It bears stressing that an existing dialogue mechanism with the EU is already in place, and we have expressed in numerous occasions our willingness to work and cooperate with the EU in order to shed light on the concerns they have raised,” he said.
Nograles pointed out that the actions taken by the government are “a clear demonstration of our compliance with conventions on human rights, labor, and good governance, among others.”
Despite challenges brought by the pandemic, he said President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is poised to end his term in June with the highest satisfaction, approval, and trust ratings of any post-Edsa chief executive.
‘Through the eyes of our people’
Nograles also urged the EU Parliament and other members of the international community to view the government’s actions “through the eyes of our people” to have a better appreciation of efforts done by the Duterte administration to ensure safety, security, and prosperity of all Filipinos.
Earlier, Lopez expressed confidence that the country will retain the GSP+ privileges granted by the EU as he likened to “bullying” the recent threats from the EU Parliament to remove the trade privilege due to alleged human rights abuses.
“While it is not new, their allegations on human rights and lack of press freedom are fake news, and those only give false impressions on the real situation in the Philippines. They should visit our beautiful country. It is unfortunate that the politicians of a huge economic block is the one destroying the image of small democratic country of peace-loving Filipinos, and it is like bullying a small country,” Lopez said.
He said the 72 percent of the population who gave Duterte a high approval rating in the December 2021 Pulse Asia survey “cannot be wrong.”
Lopez, meanwhile, assured that the Philippines will continue providing facts and figures to the EU including facilitating their regular GSP+ monitoring mission.
“This process is more systematic and organized in obtaining accurate information regarding the real situation in the country. They get to visit as well the projects and the marginalized sectors that get to benefit from the EU GSP+ and other stakeholders. And that’s why we still have the GSP+,” he added.
On Thursday, the EU Parliament adopted a resolution urging the EU Commission to "set clear, public, time-bound benchmarks for the Philippines to comply with its human rights obligations” under the GSP+.
A total of 627 out of 684 members voted in favor of the resolution, 26 against, and 31 abstentions.
GSP+ allows zero-tariff entry of more than 6,200 Philippine products to the EU.
The EU is the Philippines’ 4th largest trading partner, accounting for almost 9 percent of the country’s total trade in 2018, after China, Japan, and the United States. (PNA)
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