Activists brave murky Manila Bay to rail vs JPEPA
INQUIRER.net 04/28/2008
Activists brave murky Manila Bay to rail vs JPEPA
MANILA, Philippines — Fourteen activists braved the murky waters of Manila Bay Monday morning, swimming 10 kilometers from Bacoor, Cavite to the Senate gates in Pasay City to protest the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) and what was then the proposed "conditional concurrence" of the trade pact.
Megs Montereal, one of the activists, said the swim in Manila Bay was easier to bear than a ratified JPEPA.
However, the scheduled concurrence of the pact has been postponed after Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago acceded to a request for deferment from Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, paving the way for the renegotiation of the controversial treaty.
"Hindi natin hihintayin na lalo pang dumumi ang tubig dahil sa toxic waste na dala ng JPEPA [We will not wait for the water to become dirtier with the toxic waste from the JPEPA]," said Montereal, a member of the No Deal JPEPA Movement.
The swim was also a call for at least eight senators to vote against ratifying the JPEPA, No Deal Movement spokesman Arnold Padilla said.
"This is an opportunity for the Senate as an institution to show heroism and courage, and stand for the protection of the constitution and our rights as a nation," Padilla said.
He also said the protest was part of the launching of the "Wanted: Patriotic 8" campaign.
Padilla challenged senators to completely scrap the treaty with a "categorical no" to Japan instead of a "conditional yes," referring to Santiago’s proposal.
"The conditional concurrence is a dangerous ploy that could backfire and undermine the country’s economic sovereignty and patrimony," Padilla said in a statement Monday.
The swimmers, most of them fisherfolk, condemned the treaty to be detrimental to their livelihood.
"The nation of 88.5 million Filipinos is not for sale to Japan or to any imperialist country wanting to gobble up the remaining natural resources of this country," Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya, National Strength of the Fishers’ Movement in the Philippines) chairman Fernando Hicap said.
Also joining the protest were members of Bayan Muna, Anakbayan, Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment, Health Sector Alliance Against JPEPA, Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR), and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).
Camille Diola, Contributor
