Palace hits EU interference anew in Philippine affairs

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday scored the European Parliament for supposedly interfering with the affairs of the Philippines and rehashing “baseless” claims against President Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the European Union (EU) Parliament should be prudent in issuing resolutions, noting that the Philippines and EU have existing mechanisms for constructive discussions, including a cooperation agreement that took effect last month.

“We thus call on the members of the European Parliament to exercise prudence in issuing resolutions. We understand a number of whom have close ties with the local political opposition who tried to distort realities that we have a working democracy, where people now enjoy peace and order,” Roque said in a press briefing at Malacañang. 

Roque said critics of the administration have not proven that 12,000 people have been killed in the crackdown on narcotics. 

“On the resolution of the European Parliament, we of course find it unfortunate that members of the European Parliament once again interfered with the affairs of the Philippine state, rehashing issues and baseless claims that have been explained adequately by the Philippine government in several official statements,” Roque said.

“They said 12,000 have died. Where are the bodies? Where are the cases filed by the 12,000 victims? We only know of a few cases about the killings and of course we challenge them – where are the data? Where are the pieces of evidence that 12,000 have died?” he added.

Roque stressed that the Duterte administration is not involved in and does not condone extrajudicial killings.  

“Impunity doesn’t have a place in our society and we continue to follow due process and hold officers accountable for their actions,” the spokesman said, citing the cases filed against the policemen tagged in the killing of 17-year-old suspected drug courier Kian delos Santos. “Our institutions are moving to implement the laws against killing.”

Roque said the European Parliament’s resolution was inconsistent with the move of the EU to support Duterte’s anti-drug war. The bloc recently provided the Philippines €3.8 million or more than P242 million to support the country’s drug rehabilitation efforts.

“This resolution comes at a time when the European Union itself has given us financial assistance to assist us in the ongoing war against drugs. I find it inconsistent that the European Parliament will condemn the war against drugs which is now also being financed partly by the European Union,” Roque said.

“We thanked them for their help... but it is not acceptable for them to criticize the war on drugs because it is the duty of the state to promote the right of citizens to live and it has been proven that drugs pose a threat to their health,” he added.

Asked about the status of the Philippines’ relationship with the EU, Roque replied: “I would say that as far as the EU is concerned, we have no problems with the European Union. Perhaps it is the European Union that should communicate with the European Parliament... I’d rather that you ask them: what is the impact of this, given that the official position of the European Union is they have even given financial support to the ongoing war against drugs?”

De Lima detention ‘legal’

Roque also stressed that the detention of Sen. Leila de Lima is in accordance with “strict legal procedures” and has been declared legal by the Supreme Court.

“This week, the Supreme Court junked the motion questioning the legality of the information against her. What will we do? The Supreme Court has spoken,” the presidential spokesman said.

“If this happened in Europe, they won’t tolerate the Philippines saying that Leila de Lima should be released even if their courts have decided that her detention is legal,” he added.

Roque noted that the Philippine judiciary cannot be influenced by politicians as it is independent from the executive branch.

Malacañang also rejected the call of the EU Parliament to remove the “terrorist” tag on some human rights advocates, including United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz. Roque said Corpuz was included in the list because of “intelligence information.”

“The case of Special Rapporteur Victoria Tauli-Corpuz is now with the courts. She has not been declared a terrorist. A court order is needed. She is being given due process. She will be given the opportunity to be heard,” Roque said.

“It is not for foreign lawmakers to decide whether she should be removed from the list because we have local laws,” he added.

Roque said the action of the EU Parliament was not acceptable because of the principle of non-interference contained in the UN Charter.

Asked to react to the EU Parliament’s call for the EU to consider seeking the removal of the Philippines from the UN Human Rights Council, Roque said: “Well that’s not a decision to be made by the European Parliament. That’s a decision to be made by the UN system itself. The members of the UN Human Rights Council are elected by the General Assembly. That’s a call to be made by the General Assembly.” 

Red line crossed

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has said the European Parliament “has crossed a red line when it called for unwarranted actions against the Philippines.” In a statement issued late Thursday, Cayetano said the European Parliament’s resolution was based on wrong information.

“This resolution that the European Parliament just adopted is based on biased, incomplete and even wrong information and does not reflect the true situation on the ground,” Cayetano said.

“In case the members of the European Parliament are not aware of it, may we remind them that their recommended actions already constitute interference in the affairs of a sovereign state,” he said.

Cayetano appealed to members of the international community to respect the country’s sovereign prerogative.

“Meanwhile, Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde dared the European Parliament to substantiate its allegations that 12,000 people have been killed in the drug war. He called the figures “bloated.” – Evelyn Macairan, Helen Flores, Emmanuel Tupas