Manila says committed to rule of law after aid deferred

By Hader Glang

ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines

The Philippines’ finance minister stressed Friday that President Rodrigo Duterte remains committed to the rule of law after a United States agency deferred a decision on an aid package to the Southeast Asian country, citing concerns over “civil liberties”.

News broadcaster ABS-CBN reported Carlos Dominguez as saying that he was reassuring the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) that the Philippines "continues to vigorously implement initiatives that reinforce the Duterte presidency’s commitment to good governance, peace and order and the rule of law".

The MCC Board said in a statement released Thursday that a vote on the grant of aid to the Philippines was deferred “subject to a further review of concerns around rule of law and civil liberties”, according to GMA News.

The move comes at a time when rights groups, the United Nations and the U.S. have expressed concern over alleged extrajudicial killings under Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs, which has seen the death of thousands of suspects since July.

In October, Duterte responded to criticisms by telling international bodies to withdraw financial aid saying his country would survive without foreign aid.

The MCC -- an independent aid agency established by the U.S. Congress in 2004 -- had selected the Philippines for a $434-million package in 2011.

It announced last year that the Philippines was unanimously re-selected to receive a second grant “in recognition of the country’s continuing efforts to improve its policies on good governance” under Duterte’s predecessor Benigno S. Aquino III, GMA reported.

On Friday, minister Dominguez insisted that the Philippines had passed 13 of the 20 indicators in the MCC's latest scorecard, such as upholding the rule of law and civil liberties and fighting corruption.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. criticized the deferment saying that the U.S. started mentioning the possible withholding of aid after Duterte took office and declared he would pursue an independent foreign policy.

During a visit to Singapore alongside Duterte, Yasay told reporters that need-based aid should come “without any conditions” and called on the U.S. to treat the Philippines “with mutual respect and treat us as a sovereign equal”.

GMA quoted him as saying, “if we will be given this assistance under the Millennium Challenge Corporation, we first have to bow down to the impositions of conditions that they are making and this is something that we feel is not conducive to strengthening our relationship with friends, especially traditional allies, especially close friends.”