MANILA - Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said on Wednesday that the Philippines will stop accepting grants from the European Union (EU).

This, after President Rodrigo Duterte mistakenly slammed the EU over the recent criticism of a 7-member delegation of international parliamentarians on the administration's war on drugs.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of President Duterte's visit to Camp Bagong Diwa, Cayetano said the President's decision came even as the E.U. denied that the parliamentarians' visit to the Philippines was not an official mission from the Union.

"The whole point of his speech is we have a problem on drugs, but certain groups are giving wrong facts, fake news. Sinisiraan tayo all over the world, so that's why he's decided na sa ngayon hindi tatanggapin ang bagong grants from the EU," Cayetano told reporters.

He claimed that other countries have been using grants to undermine the Philippines' sovereignty.

"We have an issue about how we are treated as a sovereign nation, and these are donations or grants but usually may agreements, but they use it as an excuse to criticize us on certain aspects of our governance," Cayetano said.

Cayetano said that while the Philippines will not accept new grants from the bloc, trade will not be affected.

He added that the country will also continue to move forward with bilateral relations with separate member-states of the EU.