Philippines' Duterte approves move to refuse conditional grants from EU

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the move to refuse grants from the European Union (EU) if the grants make a provision for EU to interfere with Philippine internal affairs.

In a news conference held at the Malacanang presidential palace on Thursday, Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella said it was Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez who recommended the move.

"These grants pertain to particular projects or programs that have the potential of affecting the autonomy of the country," Abella said.

Abella added that "the Philippines deserves the right to accept loans and grants that help attain its objectives of promoting economic development, inclusiveness and reducing poverty, attaining peace within its borders and with its neighbors, and fostering a law-abiding society."

He said the Philippines also reserves the right to respectfully decline offers "that do not achieve these goals and offers that allow foreigners to interfere with the conduct of its internal affairs."

EU has been critical with Duterte's hardline anti-narcotics campaign, claiming there exists "extrajudicial killings" that violate "human rights."

Abella said there are "items" in grants that the Philippines find "objectionable" or the government finds "something that we do not totally agree with." Endit