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DESPITE HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS

EU sets aside €3.8M for PHL drug rehab centers


The European Union on Friday announced that it would provide the Philippine government €3.8 million or about P241.6 million to fund drug rehabilitation centers in the country.

Stefano Maservisi, European Commission Director General for International Cooperation and Development, said the funding would be channeled directly to the Department of Health despite the Duterte administration’s decision to decline aid from the EU.

The aid is part of the fresh €260-million development assistance intended for the Philippines. The aid is primarily for the Mindanao peace process, jobs creation and renewable energy projects.

“This is the last important component of this program that we will disburse in the next days,” Maservisi said at a news conference.

A staunch critic of his government’s bloody war on drugs, the EU has been accused by President Rodrigo Duterte of interfering in the country’s domestic affairs, prompting him to reject the bloc’s €6-million aid last year.

Duterte has repeatedly lambasted the EU for attaching conditions on its assistance, such as imposing human rights regulations in exchange for money.

EU is one of the country’s top donors and is a major trading partner.

Maservisi, who is on official visit to the Philippines, denied imposing “unilateral conditionalities” in its aid, saying their action is governed by the framework of the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which promotes human rights and anti-corruption.

It was signed between Manila and EU in 2012 and was ratified by the Philippine Senate in January this year.

“Our assistance is subject to no unilateral condition or whatsoever nature,” Maservisi said.

He said EU development projects would continue but could be subject to discussions with Philippine government officials if they have objections.

In his meetings with Philippine government officials, Maservisi said the issue of human rights never came up and that discussions focused instead on “energy, Mindanao, the mutual interest we have in the region and what are the common interests in doing cooperation in the Philippines.”

“We didn’t discuss human rights,” Maservisi said.   

The PCA, the first-ever bilateral and comprehensive pact by Manila and the EU, provides the legal basis for the two parties to cooperate on areas such as human rights, anti-corruption, education, money laundering, drugs, organized crime, the Mindanao peace process, and trade and investment, among others.

“In this context, when each side has a problem, we raise it and we have mechanism to discuss and address. Therefore, there is no unilateral kind of condition,” Maservisi said.

Maservisi said that drug killings and human rights violations remained a concern, but added that these issues should not prevent the Philippines and the EU from working together.

“Very often drugs is often linked to killing. This is another story. What we are talking about is the importance of action and program of the government in order to eradicate drugs, to fight the traffickers,” Maservisi said.

“We have a program called drug rehabilitation program in which we are addressing how to bring back to normal the life of people, who have been into this circuit. You know, rehabilitation center, psychological activity, teaching, education, etcetera, so we are doing this,” he added.

Duterte, who bristled at criticisms against his crackdown on illegal drugs, told his critics in the international community not to meddle with his government.

At least 7,000 have reportedly been killed in the government’s bloody anti-drug war.

The EU, as well as the United Nations and the United States—Manila’s long-time treaty ally—have voiced concerns on the alarming rate of killings and urged Philippine authorities to observe due process in carrying out its operations.

Amid the drug killings, the EU suggested "a health-based solution" to the country's problem with illegal drugs.

But Duterte criticized the EU proposal, claiming it wanted the Philippine government to build clinics where drug users could still get access to and be given a dose of illegal substance.

This has been denied by the EU. —NB, GMA News

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