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.”