IBON to Miriam: Be not afraid of Japan over Jpepa

MANILA, Philippines - Militant think tank IBON Foundation on Wednesday questioned Senate foreign relations committee head Miriam Santiago's "fear" of Japan's ire over the non-ratification Of the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa). In a statement, IBON said it cannot understand why Santiago is more concerned over getting Japan's ire than the consequences of Jpepa on the Philippine economy. "Asking for a conditional concurrence from Japan is foolish because these questionable provisions in Jpepa are precisely the ones Japan wants included in order to gain maximum advantage for its corporations," said IBON research head Sonny Africa. Last Monday, Santiago filed a committee report endorsing conditional concurrence, which requires Japan to comply with at least 15 specified constitutional provisions. But IBON said there are unconstitutional provisions in Jpepa including the "national treatment" clause that gives Japanese investors the same rights as local entrepreneurs; and the lifting of performance requirements that would have required Japanese investors to use a certain level of local content in their production and the hiring of a certain number of local workers. Africa added that JPEPA's proponents in the Senate themselves admit that the problem with the pact is that the advantages "were in favor of Japan but not necessarily the Philippines." "The proposal of conditional concurrence highlights the unconstitutionality of Jpepa, and no amount of modification can make the deal beneficial for Filipinos," he said. "We should not be afraid of earning the ire of Japan but rather demonstrate that the Philippines is not afraid of rejecting bad trade deals that don't promote its economic interests," he added. - GMANews.TV