MANILA, Philippines — The European Union said it is ready to help the Philippines as the country was battered by tragedies and natural calamities a couple of weeks leading up to Christmas. EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen, in a Facebook post on the EU Philippines page, said the bloc as a longstanding ally of the country is ready to assist either by humanitarian assistance or by use of their development funds. The offer came amid earlier statements by the Duterte administration that it would no longer accept grants from the EU after criticisms against the Philippine government's crackdown on illegal drugs. Concerns over the Philippine human rights situation aired by the EU have been a cause of friction between President Rodrigo Duterte and the bloc. Last October, Duterte threatened EU envoys to leave the Philippines after mistaking a group of foreign parliamentarians, who called for an end to extrajudicial killings, was from the bloc.

Source: Philippine Star December 24, 2017 10:07 UTC