The European Union is dismayed with the Philippines’s failure to comply with its commitments on human rights and labor welfare, risking the country’s trade privilege with the economic bloc benefiting nearly €2 billion worth of exports.
In a report by the European Commission published this week, the EU reported the Philippines continues to benefit heavily from the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus. The GSP Plus is a trade privilege allowing the country to export over 6,000 products to Europe at zero duty.
In 2018, the Philippines is the eighth top beneficiary of the GSP Plus, with €1.91 billion worth of shipments benefitting from the trade incentive.
This represented over a quarter of the country’s exports to the EU amounting to €7.49 billion during the year. Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar are the leading beneficiaries of Europe’s preferential treatment for developing countries.
However, the EU scored the Philippines for its record on human rights, particularly for renewed moves in Congress to reimpose capital punishment, as well as President Duterte’s veto of a bill that would have secured workers security of tenure.
“Calls to reintroduce the death penalty are worrisome. Most concerning is a renewed call for a vote on a bill on the death penalty in the Philippines,” the report read.
“Such a bill would go against the commitments the Philippines made under the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR [United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights],” the European Commission report added.
Further, the EU scored the Duterte administration yet again for its program on peace and order, the bloody war on drugs, which the economic bloc argued lacked an effective, impartial and transparent investigations on cases related to it. It also said there is an increasing violence against members of civil society, human rights groups, indigenous peoples, journalists and legal practitioners here.
“With regard to the Philippines, there is serious concern about the death toll associated with the campaign against illegal drugs and the lack of effective, impartial and transparent investigations on all cases of death,” the report stated.
“Civil society space is shrinking due to measures taken in the context of the war on terrorism. This has led to increased violence against members of civil society, human rights defenders, indigenous peoples, journalists and lawyers,” it added.
Last, the EU flagged the President’s decision to veto the security of tenure (SOT) bill, which it said would have “put an end to the abuse of contractualization” in the country.
Duterte last year vetoed the SOT measure submitted to his desk by lawmakers. He reasoned as much as wants to protect the rights of workers, there should also be equal protection for the interest of employers bringing capital to the country.
Labor groups scored him for that, as he promised during the 2016 campaign trail he will put an end to the practice of contractual employment across the archipelago.
The Philippines, as a beneficiary of the GSP Plus, should implement 27 international core conventions covering labor welfare, human rights, good governance and environmental protection.
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