Gordon urges gov't to renew ties with EU amid pandemic

Senator Richard Gordon on Tuesday urged the Philippine government to mend its cracked relationship with the European Union (EU) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

"While misunderstandings may have come up between our country and the European Union in the recent years, it is time to mend our fences," Gordon said in a statement.

"We cannot ignore, especially in these difficult times, our friends from Europe. Our country has been the recipient of numerous development assistance grants from Europe and they have also supported our projects in Muslim Mindanao," he added.

He stressed the need to strengthen the country's bilateral relations as he shared that the Philippine Red Cross—which he leads—has been coordinating with various European counterparts.

"They have always supported our disaster relief and management operations, immediately responding to our appeals for help whenever a disaster strikes in any part of the country," Gordon said.

The relationship of the Duterte administration and the EU turned sour in 2016 after the latter expressed criticisms on the rising death toll in the Philippines' war against drugs.

In 2017, the Philippines said it will no longer accept development aid from the EU.

The government, however, accepted aid from the EU for drug rehab centers in March 2018, saying it was aligned with the Duterte administration's "holistic approach" on solving the drug menace. -- BAP, GMA News