THE Department of Foreign Affairs refuted this week the claim of President Rodrigo Duterte, stressing that there was “no new offer” of money from the United Kingdom, contrary to the chief executive’s claim on Thursday.
In a statement, the DFA stressed the British Government remained one of the country’s most active bilateral partners, including cooperation in political, security, economic, cultural, and people-to-people spheres.
“The Philippines acknowledges the UK’s support in the development efforts of the Philippine government, particularly in Mindanao,” the DFA said in a statement.
“At the moment, there is no new offer of direct monetary assistance to the Philippines,” the foreign agency noted.
In his fresh tirade on Thursday, Duterte claimed he had “refused” $18 million to $20 million from the UK.
“The latest word from Sonny [Dominguez III], the one from Great Britain, ah, $18 million, 20? I told Sonny, don’t accept,” Duterte said in his speech during the launching of the newly renovated press office in Malacañang.
“We will survive. Anyway, I control the foreign affairs of this government,” the Chief Executive said.
DFA, on the other hand, said the Philippine government was committed to continued engagement with the UK in furthering both countries’ longstanding and mutually beneficial partnership.
“The Philippines and the UK have enjoyed 71 years of friendly, productive and dynamic relations,” the DFA said.
“During this time, the UK has remained one of the most active bilateral partners of the Philippines in the political, security, economic, cultural and people-to-people spheres,” it added.
Also on Thursday, Duterte threatened the European diplomats to leave the country in 24 hours.
“You think we are a bunch of morons here. You are the one. Now the ambassadors of those countries listening now, tell me, because we can have the diplomatic channel cut tomorrow. You leave my country in 24 hours, all of you,” Duterte said.
Duterte, whose political career was a mayor of Davao for more than 20 years, was reacting from a wrong information allegedly fed to him by his camp, that the EU wanted the Philippines expelled from the United Nations.
The President made the response in apparent reference to recent warnings by international rights group Human Rights Watch and the Philippine UPR Watch, calling for the expulsion of the Philippines from the UN Human Rights Council if unabated killings under the bloody drug war continues.
Duterte, however, erroneously attributed a call of a seven-member delegation of international parliamentarians for an end to the bloody war on drugs to the 28-member European Union.
A former senior diplomat, on the other hand, had also advised Duterte to refrain from making impulsive remarks, given the fact that the Philippines was exporting billions amount of goods to the European Union with zero-tariff or on duty-free basis.
“PRRD should restrain himself from making such impulsive remarks,” DFA retired ambassador Jose Cuisia said in a text message.
He warned that his remarks could have an adverse impact on the Philippines’ relations with EU.
“Again, the President has made unfortunate remarks which will have an adverse impact on our country’s relations with EU,” Cuisia said.
He noted the Philippines was exporting “substantial amounts of goods to the EU on duty-free basis”.
“This trade can be imperiled and who will be the loser? The Philippines, of course,” he added.
The EU was the 8th largest contributor of Official Development Assistance to the Philippines in 2015, according to latest data from the National Economic and Development Authority.
The EU provided $227.31 million in grants, interest-free, and accounted for about 2 percent of the total ODA funding in 2015.
According to the EU office in Manila, aid to the Philippines was raised to €325 million for 2015 to 2019, from €130 million for 2007 to 2014.
Bulk of the current aid has gone to Muslim communities in Mindanao where the EU has been active in funding peace- and development-related initiatives.