Arroyo appeals to
Senate to ratify JPEPA

SAYING the benefits far outweigh the cost, President Arroyo yesterday appealed to the Senate to ratify the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) when Congress resumes its sessions on April 21.

"The JPEPA is worth it. We cannot afford not to ratify it because with everyone else but us on board, e di dadalhin ng Hapon ang negosyo sa kanila," Arroyo said in her speech during a visit to the Yazaki-Torres manufacturing plant at the Special Economic Zone in Calamba City, Laguna.

Senate approval of the free trade agreement has been held up amid concerns over its environmental and labor impact as well as delays in other pieces of legislation. Senators were also kept busy by inquiries into allegations of corruption in government.

Arroyo needs a simple majority in the 23-member Senate, which is dominated by her opponents, to get the trade pact approved. One of her staunchest critics, Sen. Manuel Roxas, who heads the Senate's trade panel, has already endorsed the free trade pact with Japan, saying the country's economic loses would be "incalculable" if his colleagues would not approve the deal.

Arroyo said the Philippines was the first country after Singapore with which Japan pursued an economic agreement. She said Japan has since entered into the same kind of agreement with Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei.

"Here we are at the starting point with everybody moving in front of us," she said.

The President cited studies that the JPEPA would bring in P6.5 billion to P110 billion due to an improved investment climate, with projected direct investments from Japan amounting to P365 billion. She said more than 200,000 jobs would be created by the investments.

She said the cost would only amount to P4 billion from tariff reductions.

She said the JPEPA's ratification would also reduce poverty because tariffs on Philippine agricultural products would fall to zero. She said more Filipino nurses and caregivers would also be hired.

She allayed fears that the Philippines would be a dumping ground of toxic wastes from Japan, saying such an act is prohibited by international and domestic laws. She said Japan has also signed a side agreement assuring that it would not export toxic wastes to the Philippines.

She said the draft JPEPA has been available to public scrutiny on the internet since the end of 2003. The agreement, once ratified, would be renegotiated every five years.

Arroyo said her government will "leave no stone unturned" in seeking more foreign and domestic investments to bring more jobs to the country. "We will do everything to project a positive image of the Philippines to the world," she said.

Arroyo was given a briefing of the plant's products and expansion and had a look at the Toyota wiring harness that was on display and viewed the production line.