Duterte glad Trump won't push for passage of Trans-Pacific Partnership

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said he is pleased that United States President-elect Donald Trump for junking the possibility of passing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during his term, pointing out that the deal threatens access to generic medicines.

In his pre-departure speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) before leaving for Cambodia, Duterte said it was good that US President Barack Obama was not able to push the US Congress to pass the TPP.

"Kagaya 'yung TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, mabuti na lang hindi tinuloy ni Obama kasi napaka-mali na policy iyan. It was initiated by the – it’s an American idea really," Duterte said.

"Kung sumunod tayo doon sa TPP of which I think we will not qualify because we are not that modern, in a sense that we have to catch up with their technology, ang pinaka-example ko lang diyan sa TPP is mawala yung generic [medicines]," he added. 

Duterte said the Philippines will be unable to purchase cheaper medicines if the TPP is passed.

"We have a law governing generic so we can buy cheaper medicines. Kung mag-TPP ka, hindi ka makapabili ng generic," he said.

The President cited India and Pakistan as two of the countries where generic medicines can be bought, which allowed the country to save a lot of money.

"Kung pumasok tayo doon at nagkamali tayo, you will not be able to sell medicines na hindi branded. Then, it could be a day again ruled by rich multinationals. 'Yung mga bagay na 'to na apparently it is intended to help but it is not," he said.

"I am glad that Trump said he will throw to the garbage can 'yung TPP. Otherwise it will create problems for a lot of us here in Asia. We are promoting generic because we are a poor nation and we can buy the medicines at cost sa India pati Pakistan. And yet there is a damper which says that we cannot if we were a member of the TPP," Duterte added.

The President's sentiments against TPP echoed the reservations of the Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an independent international medical humanitarian organization that delivers medical care to people affected by armed conflicts, epidemics, and natural disasters in around 70 countries.

This requires them access to affordable medicines.

"We are writing to express serious concern over provisions under negotiation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) that threaten to restrict access to affordable medicines for millions of people, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Unless certain damaging provisions are removed, the TPP has the potential to become the most harmful trade pact ever for access to medicines," the organization said in an open letter in 2013.

 MSF argued that the stringent intellectual property guidelines of the TPP would only benefit makers of expensive biologic drugs, which are used to treat many diseases including cancer, but could hurt companies that deliver biosimilar drugs. — VVP, GMA News