PH retains EU export perks

The Philippines yesterday hailed the retention of duty-free privileges for most of its exports to the European Union despite concerns over alleged “extrajudicial killings” in President Duterte’s war on drugs.

The European Commission announced on Monday that Philippine shipments worth an estimated P120 billion ($2.35 billion), about two-thirds of annual exports to its number-two trading partner, would carry no duties.

The decision followed a review in which the Europeans raised the issue of Mr. Duterte’s anticrime crackdown. This has left nearly 4,000 drug suspects dead and drawn criticism from human rights monitors that he was mounting a crime against humanity.

“We are elated that GSP+ (Generalized Scheme of Preferences) was retained,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Tuesday.

The GSP+ review, held every two years, hinged on Philippine compliance with its obligations under 27 international conventions, including on human rights.

The duty-free privileges covered 1.67 billion euros’ worth of Philippine exports to the EU in 2016, the commission said.

The commission concluded Monday that the Philippines had made progress on labor rights, environmental protection, gender equality, people trafficking, health, education, social-economic rights and the fight against corruption, an EU statement said.

“However, extrajudicial killings, in particular in the fight against illegal drugs, related impunity, as well as the possible reintroduction of the death penalty and the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility are of serious concern.”

Philippine authorities said Monday they had killed 3,987 suspects in antidrug operations since Mr. Duterte came to power in mid-2016.

An unspecified number of people had also been killed by unknown suspects in 2,235 “drug-related incidents” that are being investigated by the police.

President Duterte has also asked Congress to reimpose the death penalty, preferably by hanging, and to lower the minimum age of suspects who can be prosecuted for crimes.

Congress has suggested anyone aged 9 or older should be prosecuted for violating laws.

Mr. Duterte is sensitive to foreign criticism of his crackdown, calling then-US President Barack Obama a “son of a whore” in 2016 and threatening to expel European ambassadors last year.

Last year the EU delegation in Manila also announced that the Duterte administration had formally made it known it would no longer accept new grants from the EU because of its criticism of the crackdown.

Asked about the issue of the drug killings raised by the trade review, Roque said: “We will address those concerns.”

The European Commission released its second monitoring report of the country’s international commitments under the GSP+ last week, a copy of which is freely available online.

The report, widely expected to give a glimpse of the fate of the trade perk, did not explicitly recommend whether or not the GSP+ status should remain. It did say, however, that the way the government wages its drug war was “a matter of grave concern.”

“The next step would be that the European parliament would be discussing the report on the 20th of February. For the time being, the GSP+ is still in place,” according to EU Ambassador Franz Jessen.

An official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) previously said that the EU parliament would decide whether or not the trade perk would stay, noting that it would be the commission that would be preparing the report.

Jessen, however, clarified that it would still be the commission to decide in the end, but it would still get the opinion of the parliament on the matter. Nevertheless, he said that European lawmakers might have “strong views” on the subject.

According to a document posted on the website of the European Commission, the status may be “temporarily withdrawn” from a beneficiary country due to noncompliance with international conventions.

To help decide on this, the commission would conduct an investigation into the situation. In the end, should a temporary withdrawal be found necessary, the commission would make a proposal to the European Council.

Late last year, some EU lawmakers visited the Philippines, criticizing the Duterte administration for its antidrug war which they said could result to consequences in the GSP+ privilege.

The European Union, however, has disowned this remark, noting that it doesn’t necessarily reflect the position of the bloc. —AFP, ROY STEPHEN C. CANIVEL