‘National interest’ to guide JPEPA review this year—DFA

MANILA, Philippines—The country “will be guided by national interest” during this year’s general review of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“And as stated by no less than President Aquino, the government is keen on realizing the JPEPA’s benefits for the Filipino people,” Foreign Assistant Secretary J. Eduardo Malaya, also DFA spokesman, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer Monday.

Malaya assured that the “direction of the JPEPA review will not be influenced by the P21.4-billion Japanese loan” for the Road Upgrading and Preservation Project of the Department of Public Works and Highways, as well as other development aid from Tokyo.

“The road project is not related to JPEPA nor the review of the agreement,” he emphasized.

According to Malaya, the review of the JPEPA “will take place within the year, as mandated by Article 161 of JPEPA itself.”

The same article also stipulates that a general review of the pact should be undertaken “every five years thereafter unless otherwise agreed by both parties.”

In a JPEPA fact sheet, the Japanese embassy in Pasay City said Japan and the Philippines “will consult with each other on this process in due course.”

Meanwhile, “discussions on the scope of the review, specific dates and other (JPEPA review) preliminaries will take place at the end of the month,” Malaya added.

Two weeks ago, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makoto Katsura said Tokyo was pleased with the economic fruits of the JPEPA and wanted to further the cooperation between the two countries toward full implementation of the pact.

Katsura told DFA reporters they were “very happy to see very good, positive results since the entry into force of the JPEPA.”

The envoy cited the growth of Philippine exports to Japan, particularly raw goods, as well as a rise in Tokyo’s direct investments in the Philippines.

Katsura noted that Japanese investments represented 58 percent of the total foreign direct investments received by the country last year.

Kabataan party-list Representative Raymond Palatino, however, disputed Katsura’s claims.

“The JPEPA did not positively impact the Philippine economy. There were very minimal benefits in terms of job generation and revenues through trade,” said Palatino.

The congressman claimed the agreement “remains one-sided in favor of Japan,” as he also called for a “renegotiation, if not scrapping, of the agreement.”

ACT teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio strongly believes the JPEPA “should be rescinded.”

“President Aquino himself voted against the treaty when he was a senator. The JPEPA remains a fundamentally unequal bilateral free trade agreement that opens up our local market and natural resources, notably our oceans, to further exploitation by big Japanese corporations,” noted Tinio.

Renato Reyes Jr., secretary-general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), pointed out that “many of the alleged benefits of the JPEPA did not happen.”

“How many Filipino nurses have passed the Japanese board examinations which are done in Nihongo?” Reyes asked.

He called the P21.4-billion soft loan from Tokyo a “sweetener for the full implementation of the treaty.”

“Japan thinks it can sweet-talk its way to full JPEPA implementation. The Aquino government should know better. President Aquino, who voted against the JPEPA as a senator, should push for a comprehensive review of this pact en route to its termination,” said Reyes.

For his part, Terry Ridon, chairman of the League of Filipino Students, said “the Philippine economy remains in crisis precisely because of unequal economic agreements like the JPEPA, where Japanese products flooding the Philippines are not subject to tariff while Philippine goods are not entirely welcome in Japan.”

“If their definition of development is the transit of Japanese toxic waste for disposal in the Philippines, we’d gladly send these back to Tokyo,” Ridon added.

The JPEPA, which consists of 16 chapters and 165 articles, was signed on September 9, 2006 in Helsinki by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

The agreement, which was ratified by the Senate on October 8, 2008, aims to “liberalize and facilitate trade in goods and services between the two countries, increase investment opportunities and establish a framework for further bilateral cooperation and improvement of the business environment,” among others.

JPEPA’s critics had expressed concern over the possibility of Japan exporting its toxic waste to the country, a violation of the Constitution, as well as Republic Act 6969, also known as the “Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Act of 1990,” which prohibits the entry of hazardous waste and their disposal here.

According to the Japanese embassy, Tokyo “continues to make every effort to smoothly implement the JPEPA through active utilization of its sub-committees on trade in goods and services, investments, movement of natural persons (deployment of Filipino nurses and caregivers to Japan), and improvement of the business environment.”

“It is expected that a smooth and effective implementation of the JPEPA will lead to enhanced trade and investment relations between the two countries, which will further benefit and invigorate the Philippine economy,” the embassy said. –Jerry E. Esplanada, Philippine Daily Inquirer