Palace view on EU 'interference' flawed, says Drilon

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon doubts that the European Union (EU) will interfere in the country's affairs as claimed by Malacañang, saying the regional bloc is merely asking the Philippines to adhere to its treaty obligations.

“While it is the right of any country to accept or reject any grant from another country or institution, I do not agree that the grants offered by the EU would give it a license to interfere in our country’s internal affairs,” Drilon said Friday.

“We are just being asked to adhere to our treaty obligations and they did not come from the EU but from the treaties that we have signed and ratified,” he added.

Senator Grace Poe echoed Drilon's sentiment, saying there is nothing wrong with the EU expressing concerns on human rights issues.

“Wala namang masama kung ang gusto nilang masiguro na may karapatang pantao dito, nasa Constitution natin ‘yun,” Poe said in a News To Go interview.

On Thursday, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said it was the Department of Finance (DOF) that recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte not to accept certain grants from the EU, which has been critical on the administration’s war on drugs.

Abella clarified that the government is only refusing EU grants that impose conditions, allowing the bloc to interfere with the country’s affairs.

Drilon said he hopes the government has studied its decision “thoroughly and carefully and is prepared to deal with the consequences of its decision.”

On the economic side, Drilon said the Philippines and EU's partnership has resulted in billions of pesos in trade, helping to boost the economy and generate job opportunities.

“We must not forget that aside from developmental aid, we are beneficiaries of the Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) that allows the Philippines to export 6,274 products to the EU at zero tariff, including the famous tuna of General Santos City,” Drilon stressed.

This makes EU as one of the biggest trading partners of the Philippines, according to Drilon, with the total trade between the EU and the Philippines reaching 12.9 billion euros or roughly P704 billion in 2015.

Drilon noted that before the Philippines was accepted in the GSP+ in 2014, Filipino exporters had suffered heavily from the declining trade with the EU, from 8.5 billion euros in 2002 to 5.1 billion euros in 2014.

Drilon said “the decision might trigger the removal of the Philippines from the GSP+.”

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez earlier said refusing EU aid will not affect the trade incentives enjoyed by the Philippines.

The GSP+ arrangement is currently under review. It requires the Philippines to ratify 27 international conventions which pertain to human and labor rights, environmental protection and good governance. —KBK, GMA News