European Union | Philippines |
---|
The European Union and the Philippines share diplomatic, economic, cultural and political relations. The European Union has provided millions of euros to the Philippines to fight poverty and counter-terrorism against terrorist groups in the Southern Philippines. The European Union is also the third largest trading partner of the Philippines. There are more than 30,000 Europeans living in the Philippines not including Spaniards.[ why? ]
The European Union and the Philippines are coming up with a more comprehensive bilateral agreement that will further strengthen the dialogue, cooperation and action in their partnership, specifically the issue of migration. There are more than 900,000 Filipinos in Europe. [1] The Philippines exports to the European Union include: coconut oil, electronic micro assemblies, electrical and electronic machinery, equipment, semiconductor devices, storage units, static converters, other brakes and servo-brakes and parts, and digital monolithic integrated circuits. [2]
EU–Filipino ties have soured since the Philippine Drug War led by President Rodrigo Duterte. In September 2016, in response to growing casualties and extrajudicial killings, the European Parliament expressed concern over the, "extraordinarily high numbers killed during police operations ... in the context of an intensified anti-crime and anti-drug campaign". In a resolution passed by the EU, it called for the government to investigate abuse, "in full compliance with national and international obligations and respect for human rights" and stated that, "President Duterte repeatedly urged law enforcement agencies and the public to kill suspected drug traffickers who did not surrender, as well as drug users". They also claimed that "President Duterte publicly stated he would not pursue law enforcement officers and citizens who killed drug dealers who resisted arrest". [3]
In response, President Duterte lashed out at EU politicians, singling out those from Britain and France, calling them "hypocrites" and accusing them of being responsible for the deaths of thousands caused by their ancestors during the colonial period. [4] Raising his middle finger, Duterte stated that he told EU politicians, "Fuck you. You are only doing it to atone for your own sins" and "They do not want a safe Philippines. They want it to be ruled by criminals. Oh, well, I'm sorry. That is your idiotic view". [5] Duterte also claimed, in response to growing international criticism, the "EU now has the gall to condemn me. I repeat it, 'fuck you'". [6] On January 24, 2018, P380 million (6.1 million euros) in aid spearheaded by the administration of former president Noynoy Aquino through a deal was officially rejected and blocked by President Rodrigo Duterte due to the belief that the Philippines does not need aid from any country. On the same month, Duterte welcomed aid from China, in exchange, allowed Chinese research vessels to enter the Philippine Rise. Duterte's move to block the European aid was rejected by 70% of Filipinos according to a poll. [7]
An agreement signed covers legal migration, maritime labor, education, and training. The agreement also provides dialogue and cooperation on political matters including the peace process on trade and investment such as customs facilitation and intellectual property rights on justice and security. [8] After many years of negotiation under President Noynoy Aquino, the P383.64 million in aid deal to the Philippines from the EU was formally approved in 2018, however, was rejected and blocked by President Rodrigo Duterte, the new incumbent at the time, citing personal hatred towards the EU. The EU has criticized Duterte for his deadly drug war which has killed more than 14,000 Filipino drug suspects in less than 18 months and the imprisonment of opposition senator Leila de Lima due to testimonies from rapists, murderers, and drug traffickers which de Lima sent to jail when she was Justice Secretary. The senator was denied bail from a case that was deemed bailable by Filipino laws. [9]
EU – Philippines trade in 2011. [10] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Direction of trade | Investment flow | Investment stocks | Others | |
EU to the Philippines | €9 billion | €5 billion | €1.1 billion | |
Philippines to EU | €7.9 billion | €430 million | €1.7 billion |
In December 2011, Northern Mindanao was devastated by Tropical Storm Washi. The European Commission allocated €3 million ($3.9 million) to provide emergency relief to people affected by Tropical Storm Washi. [11] In December 2012, the European Commission provided €10 million (PH₱ 543 million) for the victims of Typhoon Bopha, notably in the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental in Mindanao. [12] After Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, the European Commission announced a donation of €3 million to be made for the victims affected by the tropical storm. [13]
The Philippines were among the countries with air carriers banned in the European Union. However, in 2013, the European Union lifted a three-year ban on Philippine Airlines flying into its airspace after the national carrier addressed safety concerns. The European Commission and the Air Safety Committee are encouraged by the actions being taken by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and Philippine air carriers to address outstanding safety issues. [14] In April 2014, the European Union lifted its ban on Cebu Pacific, making it the second airline in the Philippines with granted rights to fly within the European Union airspace. [15] The following year, in June 2015, the European Union announced that the ban of all Philippine-based airlines was lifted, removing the country from the list. [16]
On September 18, 2020, the European Union pointed out the lack of human rights in the Philippines under the Duterte administration. The administration has been facing a lot of opposition in the international community, as it launched one of the most controversial programs, the "Philippine Drug War". The program has brought a rise in extra-judicial killings (EJK) that has angered local and international audiences. During a meeting of the European Union, the parliament discussed potential tariffs and sanctions on Philippine trade, causing a commotion in the Congress of the Philippines. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque has pleaded to the international ambassadors to the EU to convince them that the condition of the Filipino people is okay. House Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has sent a letter to the European Union that states its dedication into international comity and recognition of sovereignty.
Benigno Simeon Aquino III, also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of assassinated politician Benigno Aquino Jr. and 11th president Corazon Aquino, he was a fourth-generation politician as part of the Aquino family of Tarlac.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the oldest commercial airline in Asia in operation.
This article covers the history of the current Philippine republican state following the 1986 People Power Revolution, known as the Fifth Philippine Republic.
Rodrigo Roa Duterte, also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson of PDP–Laban, the ruling political party in the Philippines during his presidency. Duterte is the first president of the Philippines to be from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assume office, beginning his term at age 71.
Bando Osmeña – Pundok Kauswagan, commonly known as BO–PK or BOPK, is a local political party based in Cebu City, Philippines. It is a political party run by the Osmeña family of Cebu since 1987 when Tomas Osmeña first ran for mayor of Cebu City. Although not a registered political party with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), it has been used by Osmeña and his allies since 1998 when he ran with Alvin Garcia as vice mayor.
The prevalence of illegal drug use in the Philippines is lower than the global average, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). President Rodrigo Duterte has claimed that the country could become a "narco-state". Two of the most used and valuable illegal drugs in the country are methamphetamine hydrochloride and marijuana. In 2012, the United Nations said the Philippines had the highest rate of methamphetamine use in East Asia, and according to a U.S. State Department report, 2.1 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 64 use the drug based on 2008 figures by the Philippines Dangerous Drugs Board. As of 2016, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime report that 1.1 percent of Filipinos aged 10 to 69 use the drug. In Metro Manila, most barangays are affected by illegal drugs.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is an agreement between the United States and the Philippines intended to bolster the American–Philippine alliance. The agreement allows the United States to rotate troops into the Philippines for extended stays and allows the United States to build and operate facilities on Philippine bases for both American and Philippine forces. The U.S. is not allowed to establish any permanent military bases. The Philippines have personnel access to American ships and planes. This agreement has been the subject of criticism by some leftist groups in the Philippines.
The 2016 presidential campaign of Rodrigo Duterte was announced on November 21, 2015. Rodrigo Duterte, who was then serving as Mayor of Davao City, had refused to run and turned down other presidential and vice-presidential aspirants' offers to be his running mate, including that of Jejomar Binay, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Bongbong Marcos. He was eventually elected President of the Philippines. Duterte's positions was seen to have resonated with older, working class Filipinos, particularly his promise to eliminate the wide-scale drug menace of the country and his harsh stances on crime in Davao City, which he served for more than 22 years, and corruption. Duterte's campaign also emphasized an anti-establishment tone, accusing political elites based in Manila of not doing much to solve problems in a move that was described as populist.
The political positions of Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th President of the Philippines, have been difficult to define coherently into what some analysts have attempted to package as "Dutertism" due to numerous policy shifts during his presidency.
2017 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in 2017.
The following are the events in related to Philippine law in 2016. This includes developments in criminal investigations of national notability.
The presidential transition of Rodrigo Duterte started when then-Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte won the Philippine presidential election on May 9, 2016. Duterte topped the official count by the Congress of the Philippines on May 27, 2016, with 16,601,997 votes, 6.6 million more than his closest rival. The joint bicameral Congress proclaimed Duterte as the President-elect and Leni Robredo as the Vice President-elect on May 30, 2016.
Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman is the former wife of Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th President of the Philippines, and the mother of incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte.
Rodrigo Duterte's six-year tenure as the 16th President of the Philippines began on June 30, 2016, succeeding Benigno Aquino III. He was the first president from Mindanao, the first president to have worked in all three branches of government, and the oldest to be elected. He won the election amid growing frustration with post-EDSA governance that favored elites over ordinary Filipinos. His tenure ended on June 30, 2022.
The Philippine drug war, known as the War on Drugs, is the intensified anti-drug campaign of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who served office from June 30, 2016, to June 30, 2022. The campaign reduced drug proliferation in the country, but has been marred by extrajudicial killings allegedly perpetrated by the police and unknown assailants. An estimated 7,742 civilians have been killed in "anti-drug operations" carried out by the government and its supporters between 2016 and 2021.
Mactan–Cebu International Airport is an international airport serving Cebu and serves as the main gateway to the Central Visayas region in the Philippines. Located on a 797-hectare (1,970-acre) site in Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan, it is the second busiest airport in the Philippines. Opened on April 27, 1966, the airport serves as a hub for Philippine Airlines, and as an operating base for Cebu Pacific and Philippines AirAsia.
Wilma Tiamzon was a Filipino political organizer and until her arrest in March 2014 by Philippine security forces, believed to be the Secretary-General of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA).
2020 in the Philippines details events of note that have occurred in the Philippines in 2020. The year is largely defined by the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the national economy to go into recession, and would continue until 2023, when the state of public health emergency was lifted in the country on July 22, 2023.
The first 100 days of Rodrigo Duterte's presidency began on June 30, 2016, the day Rodrigo Duterte was inaugurated as the 16th president of the Philippines. The concept of the first 100 days of a presidential term was first adopted in the Philippines by President Corazon Aquino from the United States and has since been used as a gauge of presidential success and activism, and is a considered the "honeymoon period" where traditional critics are urged to refrain from detracting the new president. The 100th day of his presidency ended at noon on October 8, 2016.
The following article details the reactions, both local and international, to the Philippine drug war.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)