WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines on Thursday said it deferred an aid package to the southeast asian country over concerns about its human rights record.
The grant, worth up to $430 million, was not renewed because of "concerns around rule of law and civil liabilities" under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Since his June inauguration, Duterte has embarked on a campaign against drug trafficking and use in his country, with more than 3,000 reported deaths of Filipinos at the hands of police and vigilantes in extrajudicial killings.