PH doesn’t deserve any trade sanction – DTI

Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez yesterday said the New York Times editorial calling the EU and other countries to impose trade sanctions on the Philippines on alleged extra judicial killings baseless and unfair and the country does not deserve any of this.

Lopez, who was asked by Malacañang to comment on the editorial by the New York Times last March 24 calling for trade sanctions against the Philippines, has urged the international community not to jump to hasty conclusions.

“We consider these accusations unjust for the Philippines,” Lopez said branding the editorial “baseless and unfair.”

“Any form of trade sanction against the Philippines is uncalled for, unfounded, and undeserved,” he said.

The trade chief had earlier defended the government’s drug war and has again belied the alleged extra judicial killings and human rights violations in the country.

“The government does not sanction the killings that are occurring, mainly due to actions by criminals and drug syndicates to purge their ranks. While some drug elements have been killed during police operations, this is a result of the criminals fighting back with force and leaving our police force with no recourse but to protect themselves,” he said.

The Philippines has a commitment to international treaty on human rights protection. The zero tariff granted under the EU-GSP+ scheme is also dependent on the Philippines’ adherence to this commitment.

The preferential trade undern the EU-GSP+ scheme is expected to contribute a significant role in the growth in the country’s exports and jobs generation.

The Philippines got a preferredcountry status on December 18, 2014, granting zero duty to more than 6,274 items from the Philippines. Before the Philippines attained the beneficiary status, the regular EU-GSP only provides duty-free access to only 2,442 Philippine products while 3,767 have reduced tariffs.

In the first six months of 2015, the Philippine exports under the EUGSP+ amounted to €743 million, up 27 percent from €584 million a year earlier via the regular EU-GSP, according to the first EU-GSP+ monitoring report by the European Commission (EC).

EU-GSP+ is a preferential tariff scheme granted by the European Union to developing countries that meet the very stringent application requirements. The Philippines is currently the only country in ASEAN to be accepted in the program.

Already, some EU officials have raised concerns on the Duterte administration’s drug war and its move to restore death penalty in the country.

“The government does not condone these,” Lopez said echoeing the voice of other government officials.

He also cited the successes of the anti-drug campaign, like the recent Pulse Asia survey last December, 2016 which showed that 82 percent of Filipinos feel safer now.

He said the accusations made by the US broadsheet was based on unverified media reports, and is creating a general perception that there are extra judicial killings taking place in the country.

“There is no such thing in the country,” he added.

“Our country is verging on an economic breakout, more so as we institute discipline and restore peace and order.”

Business confidence in the country is high, with investor confidence more than 34, he added

The confidence is there, Lopez said pointing to the record high foreign direct investments at $7.9 billion in 2016 registered investments, and the foreign investments part of it during the second half of 2016 (under Duterte administration) posted much higher growth rate versus previous semester and versus same period in 2015 indicative of the foreign investors’ confidence in the Philippines and how conducive the business environment is in the country.