EU Parliament threatens to revoke PH’s business benefits

MANILA, Philippines – The European Parliament threatened to revoke the Philippines’ trade privileges with the European Union if it does not implement international conventions on human rights and urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to continue its investigation into allegations that President Rodrigo Duterte committed crimes against humanity in his bloody war on drugs.

With 626 votes to 7 and 52 abstentions, the elected legislative body of the European Union adopted a resolution on Thursday expressing its “deepest concern about the rapid deterioration of the human rights situation” in the country under Duterte and condemned energetically the thousands of alleged extrajudicial executions.

The European MPs also called on the Philippine authorities to “intensify efforts to combat corruption effectively”, reminding the country that it enjoys commercial benefits under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (SPG +), which could be revoked if the government does not meet certain standards. .

The privilege allows the Philippines to export 6,200 products duty-free to the 27 EU member states.

“This status depends on its ratification and implementation of 27 international conventions on human rights, labor rights, environmental protection and good governance,” said the resolution.

EU lawmakers want to start the process of eliminating trade benefits, unless the Duterte administration shows “substantial improvement and a willingness to cooperate.”

“Given the seriousness of human rights violations in the country, [the European Parliament] calls on the European Commission … to immediately initiate the procedure that could lead to the temporary withdrawal of GSP + preferences, ”said the nine-page resolution.

Roque dare: ‘Go ahead’

Enraged by the move, presidential spokesman Harry Roque challenged European MPs to “go ahead” and revoke the country’s trade privileges.

“I’m sorry to be very undiplomatic in my answer, but what else can I say? At the time of a pandemic, are they threatening us? What else do we lose? he said at a news conference in Baguio city on Friday.

“Our economy will contract further due to COVID-19, so we expect this plan from Europe to suspend our GSP privilege will be an additional burden,” said Roque.

He went on to say that if Europeans “really want to do it, we can’t do anything. Let them see how the Filipino people suffer. “

Roque said that Europeans would be “the biggest contributor to the violation of the Filipinos’ right to life” if they revoke this commercial privilege.

He criticized the “old colonial teachers” move, which he said was triggered by a “classic case of misinformation” by José María Sison, founding president of the Communist Party of the Philippines, who lives in exile in the Netherlands.

Press freedom, From Lima

Roque urged members of Congress and the country’s ambassadors to European nations to “tell them the truth” about the real situation in the Philippines to stop the spread of Sison’s “lies”.

In addition to trade sanctions, the resolution also asked EU members to support a proposal at the current 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to establish an “independent international investigation” of rights violations. humans in the Philippines since 2016.

Parliamentarians listed other reports that have raised alarms, including: threats, harassment, intimidation, rape and violence against those who expose extrajudicial executions; the murders of human rights workers Jory Porquia and Zara Alvarez, and the peace consultant Randal Echanis; and the “deterioration” of press freedom in the country.

He cited the case of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, who has been convicted of cyberlibel, and the shutdown of broadcast giant ABS-CBN.

The resolution also called for the immediate release of the detained senator Leila de Lima, saying she was being held on “politically motivated charges.” She also “expressed serious concern” about the recently approved Anti-Terrorism Law.

In a statement on Friday, De Lima praised the European Parliament resolution, saying that “it reminds us that the world is constantly watching and that justice will reach those who commit injustices to others in one way or another.”

Duterte’s staunchest critic also called on the HRC, the ICC and foreign governments to “redouble their efforts in the fight against rights violators in the country.”

‘Heavy thumbs down’

Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, said that his group “deeply welcomes” the resolution.

“It is time for governments to intensify discontent and pressure for unmitigated and persistent human rights atrocities [in the Philippines,]” he said.

The resolution is proof that “the entire world is giving the perpetrators and facilitators of blatant violations the thumbs down,” Olalia said.

The European Parliament also called on the Duterte government to halt all efforts to reinstate the death penalty, protect the human rights of indigenous peoples and LGBT people, and disband private and state-backed paramilitary groups targeting suspected criminals. drug-related.

López sees no base

Commerce Secretary Ramón López tried to downplay the resolution and said he saw no reason for the European Union to withdraw the trade privilege that the country has enjoyed since December 2014.

The GSP + is also a way for the European Union to encourage developing countries to seek sustainable growth, as this benefit is conditional on the beneficiary’s commitment to international conventions on human and labor rights, environmental protection and good governance.

This is the third time that the European Parliament has threatened to take such action against the Duterte administration.

López said that the main agency with a voice in the GSP + is not necessarily the European Parliament, but the European Commission, which has a mechanism to “verify problems before sanctions are imposed.”

He said in a Viber message that Philippine officials have been able to “objectively explain the Philippine side of the issues that are being raised and we see no reason why our GSP + privilege is withdrawn.” —With reports from Julie M. Aurelio, Roy Stephen C. Canivel, and Marlon Ramos

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