Malacañang on Monday, Feb. 21, said the issues on human rights in the Philippines raised by the European Union (EU) Parliament are being used by critics of President Duterte to influence the outcome of the upcoming national elections.

In a statement, Cabinet secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said the government has already taken steps to address the concerns of the EU Parliament on the human rights situation in the country.

"An existing dialogue mechanism with the EU is already in place, and we have expressed in numerous occasions our willingness to work and cooperate with the EU in order to shed light on the concerns they have raised," Nograles said.

"The actions taken by the government in this regard are a clear demonstration of our compliance with conventions on human rights, labor, and good governance, among others," he added.

Nograles also noted that these issues are only being used by the "detractors" of the Duterte Administration to "color the perceptions of Filipino voters who in May will choose the country’s next leaders."

"The President is at the tail-end of his administration and—despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic—is poised to step down with the highest satisfaction, approval, and trust ratings of any post-EDSA chief executive," he said.

"We urge those in the international community to view the government’s actions through the eyes of our people in order to have a better appreciation of the steps the Duterte Administration has taken to ensure the safety, security, and prosperity of the country’s over 100 million citizens," Nograles added.

The European Parliament issued a resolution on Feb. 16 where it reiterated its call to the Philippines to "immediately end all violence and human rights violations targeting suspected drug offenders, including unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, acts of torture and other abuses, and to disband private and state-backed paramilitary groups involved in the 'war on drugs'."

It also warned on the withdrawal of the Philippines’ trade privileges with the EU due to the human rights situation in the country.

However, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez expressed confidence that the EU will not turn its back on helping address poverty in the Philippines through continued duty-free treatment on the country’s exports under its Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus.

Under the GSP Plus, the Philippines could enjoy zero duties on its exports to the EU of products falling under more than 6,000 tariff lines.

Lopez likewise tagged the issues on human rights and lack of press freedom as "fake news" and only give "false impressions" on the real situation in the Philippines.

"They should visit our beautiful country... They should ask the Filipinos in their companies or communities. They should also ask the EU citizens, the EU business chambers in the country. The 72 percent of population who gave a high approval rating for Philippine President Duterte cannot be wrong," Lopez said.