The European Union (EU) has "descended to the level of stupidity" for fussing over "trivial matters" in the Philippines like the issue on ABS-CBN's operating franchise.
Thus, said Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. during its second budget briefing with the House Committee on Appropriations Monday afternoon.
Locsin, a former Makati City congressman, was reacting to a September 17 resolution by the European Parliament wherein it expressed alarm over the Philippines’ “deteriorating level of press freedom.” In it, the body called on the Philippines to grant an operating franchise to shuttered television and radio giant ABS-CBN, among other things.
"That the European Union (EU) has now gone down to the detail of deciding for us which entity gets a franchise or not goes to show that they have descended to the level of stupidity. I hate to use the word but really, they are discrediting themselves because they are picking up just anything that the enemies and critics of Duterte are throwing at our President," said the country's top diplomat.
"First I have to show the whole world who introduced this resolution and even brought up matters as trivial as the ABS-CBN franchise in the European Parliament. My God. They are bringing down that parliament," Locsin said.
He said gone are the days when the European Parliament was careful, responsible, and objective with their reactions to world affairs. He cited the Parliament's action during the Philippines' "titanic battle with Ferdinand Marcos during the 1986 (snap) elections" as an example of its lost glory.
"EU was very careful, they were very responsible, they were not taking sides. They were watching both sides. They watched the struggle objectively. And then there was a stalemate: who won the election?" the 71-year-old Locsin recalled.
"At that time, a European parliament with the dignity not to touch just the most trivial things, but only the biggest issues, suddenly came up with a resolution: the European parliament declared Cory Aquino the winner of the snap election. See? It counted. This is what the European parliament is throwing away (with) their trivial concerns," he said.
The outspoken Locsin noted that Europe has a host of bigger problems in its own backyard, and yet its lawmakers choose to dabble in "non-sensical issues" elsewhere.
"There are many great issues happening in Europe. There are wars on the eastern side of Europe. There are wars in the Middle East and North Africa that...have already reached Europe. And they want to discredit the European parliament by picking up non-sensical issues? Well, that's their problem. If that's what they want to do to themselves, fine. Nobody will listen to them," he said.
The European Parliament is one of three legislative branches of the EU, and one of its seven institutions.