MANILA - Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez on Tuesday said the New York Times' call for trade sanctions against the Philippines is "baseless and unfair."

In an editorial piece released last March 24 titled "Accountability for Duterte," the New York Times criticized President's bloody war on drugs and called on the Philippines' trading partners to rebuke Duterte by cancelling the Philippines' trading privileges.

Lopez, however, insisted that allegations of human rights abuses in the drug war are not true.

"We believe there are no extra-judicial killings and human rights are not being violated in the government’s campaign to cleanse the country of drug elements. The government does not sanction the killings that are occurring, mainly due to actions by criminals and drug syndicates to purge their ranks," Lopez said in a statement.

He also claimed that the slain drug suspects are themselves to blame for their own deaths.

"While some drug elements have been killed during police operations, this is a result of the criminals fighting back with force and leaving our police force with no recourse but to protect themselves."

Lopez meanwhile acknowledged that there are unexplained killings, dubbed by the police as "deaths under investigation" but he maintained that the government does not condone the killings.

The trade secretary also trumpeted the "success" of Dutere's war on drugs and the public support behind it.

"The campaign has also resulted in an overall lower crime rate, which is noticed by citizens. This, the recent Pulse Asia survey last December 2016 noted that 82% of Filipinos feel much safer now, proving that the government’s anti-drug campaign is providing to make streets safer," he said.

Lopez insisted that the New York Times editorial was based on "unverified media reports."

Last January, the European Union said it was studying if the Philippines can still qualify for trade incentives that are tied to international agreements, including those on human rights.

The Department of Interior and Local Government has warned that the Philippines risked losing a $434-million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant from the United States over alleged human rights violations committed in the war on drugs.