Militant groups picket Senate in time for JPEPA hearing
Philippine Star | Thursday, September 20, 2007
Militant groups picket Senate in time for JPEPA hearing
Cause-oriented groups under the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan on Thursday picketed the Philippine Senate to coincide with hearings on the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement.
The Senate is conducting weekly public hearings to determine whether or not it should ratify the economic agreement.
Bayan described the agreement as "a treaty that promises heaven, the moon and the stars, a veritable economic miracle."
Government officials have touted the agreement as superbly beneficial to the Philippines.
"We vigorously oppose the JPEPA because of its disastrous effects on the Philippine economy. The deal will remove tariffs for all Japanese products except rice and salt. We would be a dumping ground of Japanese surplus goods," Bayan said in a statement.
"This would be the equivalent of a second Japanese invasion of the Philippines," the group added.
Bayan believes that the agreement is lopsided because the Philippines and Japan are not on the same playing field.
"Philippine products are at a disadvantage. They will not be able to penetrate the Japanese market easily because of the very strict import standards of Japan. Meanwhile, Japanese goods will easily flood our domestic markets because of the absence of any restrictions," the militant group said.
Bayan also questioned the alleged incentive of having Filipino nurses go to Japan as part of the agreement.
"There is the illusion that the agreement will allow more Filipino nurses to work in Japan. However, for Filipino nurses to work in Japan, they would still have to hurdle many requirements, including board exams in the Japanese language," Bayan said.
"The JPEPA is full of hollow promises about growth. At the end of the day, it is the domestic economy which will suffer," the group said.
