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The Fair Trade Alliance has appealed anew for a renegotiation of the
Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement following the
proposal of Sen. Mar Roxas to ratify the accord.
FTA head Wigberto Tanada said the Philippines
should still push for renegotiation, citing the admission of Roxas
that there is little, if at all, to be gained if JPEPA is ratified,
except that the country will be left behind if it is not.
“Fair Trade thought that Senator Roxas, after
several public hearings on JPEPA, was able to see the economic
balances in the treaty and the serious constitutional flaws, and
that it was inferior to the agreements entered into by Japan with
Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand,” Tanada said.
The Filipinos should accept only “a win-win
situation, a mutually beneficial economic partnership” and not
settle for a “tie-lose” scenario, he added.
FTA clarified it is not against economic
partnerships with any country as this is inevitable in a globalized
economic environment, but that the government must ensure that any
trade arrangement it enters into will “truly serve and support”
the national development agenda.
The lobby group further said that “close to 90
percent of Philippine exports to Japan are already enjoying
duty-free access to Japan, whether there is JPEPA or not.”
On the other hand, FTA said local industries
stand to suffer since JPEPA allows the entry of used clothing and
second-hand vehicles to the Philippines.
“The Senate must correct these patently
one-sided contents in JPEPA so that it will effectively benefit
Philippine industries and the Filipino people,” Tanada said.
-- Katrina Mennen A. Valdez
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