PH not borrowing from “narco-states” which backed Iceland resolution – Locsin

September 22, 2019

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Sunday said the Philippines does not borrow money from the countries which he called as "narco-states" for backing up the Iceland resolution calling for an investigation by the United Nations Human Rights Council against President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.

“That's because we don't want to borrow money from those whose defense of the drug trade and attacks on anti-drug trade campaigns make us mighty suspicious about where the money's coming from. You, trading drugs is the most lucrative business in the world bar none,” Locsin said in a tweet.

“Yes, we pick and choose; to take indiscriminately is actually criminal. For example, we can never take from narco-states like the most notorious one which voted for the Iceland resolution and had the entire Geneva laughing. Really,” he said in a separate tweet.

Locsin said the 18 countries which voted in favor of the Iceland resolution “never gave or lent” the country anything.

“Experience showed the same countries that voted for the Iceland resolution never gave or lent us anything worthwhile or offered with conditions more onerous than the loans we'd have to pay back,” he said.

“Yes, we take ODA (official development assistance) from Japan which gives without conditions,” he added.

Locsin's tweets came after a supposed confidential memorandum, which Duterte through Executive Secretary Secretary Salvador Medialdea, issued on August 27 to the different government agencies directing them to suspend negotiations for loans and other grant agreements with the 18 countries that voted for Iceland's resolution.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, however, earlier denied that Duterte ordered the suspension of all negotiations or signing of all loan and grant agreements with those countries.

The 18 countries include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Uruguay. Ella Dionisio/DMS