Led by the head of the European Union delegation to the Philippines, 13 diplomats from EU member-states on Monday visited presidential frontrunner Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III at his Quezon City home. EU ambassador Alistair MacDonald said he and other diplomats visited Aquino to congratulate him as they noted the “remarkable success” of the Philippines' first nationwide automated elections last May 10. “We wanted to hear from Senator Aquino how he thought the European Union and the member states of the European Union might be able to work with his administration, help strengthen European relations, help contribute to the future growth of the Philippines,” MacDonald said in an interview after the meeting that lasted almost an hour. Among the topics tackled during the meeting were the conflict in Mindanao — which the EU has promised to help resolve — and the spate of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, including the November 23 massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province. The EU has constantly condemned human rights violations in the country. Extrajudicial killings “The extrajudicial killings would have to be solved. It does not mean just identifying the perpetrators but capturing them and also sending them to jail,” said Aquino, who is just a proclamation away from becoming the 15th president of the Philippines based on an unofficial tally by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). “That is part of the agenda. That's why judicial reform is so important. There has to be closure as soon as possible,” the senator added. Aquino also vowed justice to the families of the victims of the massacre in Maguindanao that is blamed on members of the powerful Ampatuan clan and their armed supporters. “There is a commitment on our part that there will be justice,” he said. Aquino said his plan for dismantling private armies includes the withdrawal of security detail of some local politicians. Encouraging signals to foreign investors German ambassador Christian-Ludwig Weber-Lortsch said he believes foreign investors would have confidence in the Aquino administration, noting Aquino's “very encouraging signals” regarding his future plans for building and rebuilding trust in business. Ambassadors and representatives from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Italy, Austria, Romania, Finland, the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands also attended the meeting. Aquino has been visited by the ambassadors of the United States, China, and Japan.
