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WORLD NEWS Friday 19 May 2017
Philippines declining EU grants to discourage interference

TERESA CEROJANO tions to enjoy duty-free
Associated Press exports under EU’s Gener-
MANILA, Philippines (AP) alized Scheme of Prefer-
— The Philippines will no ences + or GSP+ incentives
longer accept new grants for developing countries.
from the European Union, The Philippine’s duty-free
officials said Thursday, for- exports to EU was worth
going possibly more than around 1.6 billion euros
250 million euros ($ 278.7 ($1.78 million) in 2016, ac-
million) in funds for devel- cording to EU delegation
opment projects in the data.
country. In March, the EU sum-
The EU delegation in Manila moned a Philippine envoy
said the Philippine govern- to explain an expletive-lad-
ment informed it about its en tirade by Duterte, who
decision Wednesday, but it threatened to hang EU offi-
has yet to receive a written cials for opposing his efforts
notice. Executive Secretary to re-impose the death
Salvador Medialdea, in a penalty.
text reply to the Associated The EU’s external action
Press, said the move was service, the equivalent of a
“to discourage them from foreign office, said it hauled
interfering with our internal Charge d’Affaires Alan De-
affairs.” niega to its Brussels head-
President Rodrigo Duterte quarters to provide “an A 500 Euro bill, second row, and other country notes are displayed on a tarpaulin outside a money
changer in Manila, Philippines Thursday, May 18, 2017.
earlier had challenged the explanation for the recent, Associated Press
EU to stop its assistance af- unacceptable comments
ter the bloc warned that of President Duterte.”
the Philippines risks losing The move highlights grow-
tariff-free exports to Europe ing European exasperation
because of the thousands with the president. Earlier,
killed in the war on drugs the EU denied his allega-
launched by Duterte and tions that it proposed solv-
Manila’s moves to revive ing the Philippines’ drug
the death penalty. problem by creating treat-
“The President has ap- ment clinics where illegal
proved the recommen- drugs such as metham-
dation of the Department phetamine or cocaine
of Finance not to accept would be dispensed.
grants from the EU that Duterte has lashed out at
may allow it to interfere the EU repeatedly for rais-
with internal policies of the ing human rights concerns
Philippines,” presidential over his deadly crackdown
spokesman Ernesto Abella on illegal drugs.
told reporters Thursday. “If you think it is high time
EU Ambassador Franz Jes- for you to withdraw your as-
sen said more than 250 mil- sistance, go ahead, we will
lion euros ($278.7 million) not beg for it,” Duterte said
worth of grants could be at in a speech in October, re-
stake. ferring to aid from the U.S.,
“We are still awaiting more EU and other critics.
detailed clarification from The social development
the government,” Jessen arm of the influential Cath-
said in an email to the AP. olic Bishops Conference
“The amount possibly con- of the Philippines criticized
cerned by the new deci- the government’s decision.
sion is 250 million euro plus. “The Duterte administra-
For this year the amount af- tion is just too fanatically
fected could be 100 million engrossed on the war on
euro.” drugs, hating every institu-
Development projects cur- tion that questions it,” said
rently using EU assistance the Rev. Edwin Gariguez,
include a 35 million euro head of the CBCP-National
($39 million) grant to sup- Secretariat for Social Ac-
port the peace process tion. “This short-sightedness
with Muslim rebels in the is echoed even in making
southern Philippines. foreign or economic poli-
The EU is the largest for- cy, which is extremely det-
eign investor in the Philip- rimental to the welfare and
pines, the only member of interest of the poor, like this
the 10-nation Association decision not to accept EU
of Southeast Asian Na- aid.”q