MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino’s brief period in office is not enough for him to stop cases of unexplained killings, according to the European Union (EU).
Werner Langen, a member of the EU Parliament and chairman of the EU Delegation for relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said the Aquino administration should be allowed to effect changes in the coming months.
“We talked at length and we listened attentively,” he said through an interpreter.
“We had our discussion on this issue but three months is a very short period of time for a new President and the new government. We need to allow the new government time to effect change.
“But we did get the impression that things are going in the right direction and we have hope for the future.”
EU Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, for his part, expressed doubt that the continuation of the violent trend could be attributed to the new government.
“For some of these killings that took place in June and July I (get the) impression this is either a last fling or even a challenge to the incoming administration,” he said.
“And I don’t think very recently there has been a continuation of that trend and certainly (it is) better than it was in previous years.”