EU ‘very relieved’ to hear PH now working to address EJKs issue

INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines — While worried  over the conduct of illegal drug war in the Philippines during the past administration,  European lawmakers  are now “very relieved” to hear that the country is now “working towards rehabilitation and prevention.”

Many  human rights issues, including alleged  extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the country, were tackled when  lawmakers  from the Philippine Senate  and  the  European Union (EU)  parliament met on  Wednesday.

“We were discussing, as we are the human rights committee, a lot of human rights issues of concern,”  EU delegation head Hannah Neumann told reporters  after the meeting.

“As you are aware, the European Union has been quite worried about the war on drugs and the extrajudicial killings happening in the past. We are discussing this and we are also very relieved to hear that right now the Philippines is working towards rehabilitation and prevention,” said Neumann, vice chairperson of the EU subcommittee on human rights.

She noted  how the   EU parliament has  been   “deeply concerned”  about the  the human rights issue in the country,  particularly citing the  slow  resolution of  alleged EJK cases here.

“We see right now prosecutions starting, but being rather slow with at least 6,000 people killed in the war on drugs, only 20 cases filed and three people convicted,”  Neumann further noted.

She then  reiterated the  EU’s support on the International Criminal Court’s ongoing probe into  the reported drug war deaths during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“We clearly understand that at least the senators we have met right now see this differently. Well, this is exactly part of the discussions we are having amongst each other. But they are constructive and fruitful, that’s how I would describe it,” she also said.

Five other members  of the EU’s rights panel  joined Neumann  in their meeting with  counterparts from the Philippines attended by  Senate committee on justice and human rights chairman, Senator Francis Tolentino, Senators  Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, and  JV Ejercito.

Dela Rosa earlier described the meeting as  “intense”  when  an EU lawmaker raised about a resolution defending Duterte from the ICC probe.

Both Neumann and Tolentino, however,  considered their discussion  “fruitful” and  “constructive.”

JPV