Paynor: Duterte's tirades will not affect ASEAN ties with EU

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s verbal swipes at the European Union will not affect the “robust” relationship between the Association of South East Asian Nations and the European bloc, Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr said.

Paynor said the issue between the country and the EU will be “put on background” during the 31^st ASEAN summit and related meetings next month.

“The issue of the Philippines and the EU on a bilateral basis will be put on the background. We have to distinguish the president being the chair and the president being the head of the government of the Philippines,” Paynor said in a Palace news briefing.

Paynor added the Duterte has a point in his expletive-filled remarks against EU, which the president incorrectly said wanted the Philippines out of the United Nations.

“Let’s go beyond delivery, let’s go beyond rhetoric,” he said.

Paynor added that Duterte has to wear different hats as the ASEAN chair and as Philippine president.

“In the ASEAN summit he is chairing, he must be seen as neutral and trying to arbiter and put things together,” he said.

The Philippines is chair of the ASEAN this year. Members of the 10-nation regional bloc take turns at chairmanship.

Duterte decided to turn down donations and grants from the European Union for the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City, claiming the bloc is interfering with the country’s internal affairs by raising human rights concerns in the government's campaign against illegal drugs.

READ: Phl won’t accept EU grants for Marawi

 A few weeks ago, Duterte asked European envoys to leave the country within 24 hours after he wrongly accused the regional bloc of seeking to remove the Philippines from the United Nations.

The EU delegation to the Philippines had clarified that it was not trying to oust the country from the UN and that a delegation from non-government group Progressive Alliance — which did not threaten to have the country removed from the UN either — was not an official EU mission.

Despite the clarification, the firebrand president continued to attack the EU.

He also claimed that EU was focusing too much on the drug-related killings without looking into the plight of the victims of drug lords and users.