Palace: EU human rights report 'a rehash of criticisms'

MANILA, Philippines — “A rehash of criticisms” was how Malacañang described the latest annual European Union Report on Human Rights, which flagged “the serious deterioration” of human rights situation in the country under the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Citing police data and President Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks “encouraging” cops to take “aggressive approach” on drug suspects, EU’s report said the second semester of 2016 saw worsening “respect for the right to life, due process and the rule of law” in the Philippines.

Reacting to the bloc’s report, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella dismissed EU’s review as full of old criticisms against Duterte’s drug war that were supposedly hurled by defeated political parties considering the period covered by the report.

He also pointed out that the EU report came before the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review  by the United Nations last May, where Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano insisted that there are no state-sponsored killings in the country as part of Duterte’s narcotics crackdown.

 “We note, however, that the EU's report covers the period of last year's elections and many of its alleged findings are a rehash of criticisms aired by the political party whose candidate lost to the President,” Abella said.

To note, Duterte took office on June 30, 2016. Meanwhile, EU’s latest report focused on the second half of 2016.

According to Abella, the government is investigating all drug-related deaths as well as “allegations” of summary killings, adding that recent congressional hearings already proved that “impunity does not have a place in this administration.”

“It has to be underscored that all the drug-related deaths arising from legitimate police operations have been done based on rules of engagement.  Thus, while they remain as suspects, their violent resistance against police officers whose lives were put at risk are considered actionable offenses,” the Palace spokesman also said.

The EU has been a strong critic of Duterte's anti-drug campaign, which has taken the lives of more than 3,900 suspected drug personalities.

Early this month, Duterte falsely accused Europe of calling for the Philippines’ expulsion from the United Nations and told European diplomats here to leave in 24 hours.

This came after the seven-member delegation of the International Delegates of the Progressive Alliance visited the Philippines. The bloc clarified the delegation was not an EU mission as "falsely reported" in the media.

As his aides scrambled to soften the impact of the chief executive’s tirades against the EU, Duterte remains unapologetic and slammed EU anew for doing nothing about the visit of the seven-member group—which criticized the spate of killings under the drug war.

In 2014, the Philippines was granted beneficiary country status under the General System of Preference (GSP+) —a preferential trade deal that allows 6,200 of its products to enter the EU market duty free.

However, the alleged cases of extrajudicial killings in the country as part of Duterte’s drug war has put at risk the country’s GSP+ privileges.

The country’s beneficiary status under the GSP+ necessitates the implementation of the 27 international treaties and conventions on human rights, labor rights, environment and governance.

Results of the latest GSP+ review is expected to come out in January next year.

READ: 'No surprises' for Philippines, EU says, as results of trade perks review loom