Speaker Romualdez seeks review of PH-Japan economic pact

Speaker Martin Romualdez has called for a review of the Philippines-Japan Economic Agreement (PJEPA) citing a need for "improved terms" in relation to the country's agricultural exports.

Romualdez made the call during a meeting with Japanese lawmakers from the Philippines-Japan Parliamentarians’ Friendship Society (PJPFS) led by Chairman Hiroshi Moriyama, a member of the House of Councilors, National Diet, late Tuesday.

“We believe that a review of the [PJEPA], especially after the recent trilateral agreements, would show support and solidarity. This request aligns with our past efforts and aims to foster a better and more conducive relationship between our countries,” Romualdez said during the meeting.

“The Philippines is looking to secure a larger share of Japan’s lucrative agriculture market for Filipino farmers and fisherfolk, as Japan is one of the largest importers of agricultural products in the world,” Romualdez added.

Romualdez cited that the share of Philippine bananas in the Japanese market, for one, has been down to 78% from as high as 90% mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This decline is not necessarily due to specific circumstances but rather the pandemic and current regional conditions. The aim [of the review] is to expand Philippine export opportunities for various fish and tropical fruits such as pineapples, avocados, mangoes, durian, mangosteen and okra," Romualdez explained.

Moriyama, a former agriculture minister, acknowledged Romualdez’s request for a PJEPA review and vowed to take it into consideration.

Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano, for her part, echoed Romualdez’s call for a PJEPA review given the significant drop in banana exports to Japan over the last few years. 

"We are very concerned with the decline in banana exports to Japan. We hope that with the general review of PJEPA, we can address the differences in tariffs imposed on bananas, aiming to level the playing field with other countries like Vietnam, which enjoys a zero percent tariff," Albano said.

PJEPA was signed by the Philippines and Japan in 2008. The bilateral agreement covers trade in goods, trade in services, investments, movement of natural persons, intellectual property, government procurement, competition, and improvement of business environment, among others.

Based on Article 161 of the PJEPA, the Philippines and Japan should undertake a general review of the agreement in 2011 and every five years thereafter, unless otherwise agreed by both parties. --VAL, GMA Integrated News