Strange turnaround on JPEPA
During the heated public hearings on the controver-sial economic and trade treaty with Japan, Sen. Mar Roxas clearly indicated his grave doubts about its feasibility and beneficial effects on the Philippines. But he now favors its ratification even though it would bring only "token benefits" to Filipinos. As he put it, they will only "draw or lose" in the event of its implementation.
Why this strange turnaround by Roxas? Why is he singing a different tune this time? And why is he even trying to convince his fellow senators to ratify a patently defective pact?
He claims that the Philippines would be "left behind" by our Asian neighbors that have entered into trade pacts with Japan. This was the same refrain of the government’s negotiators that was already debunked by those strongly against the agreement.
Has Roxas so soon forgotten the wise advice of former Senator Wigberto Tañada, his own party mate in the Liberal Party of which he (Roxas) is the president? Tañada, one of the constitutionalists who testified that the JPEPA contained numerous provisions in clear violation of the Philippine Constitution, had urged Roxas to offer a "win-win" formula, and not just a "draw or lose" option.
And also, Roxas has forgotten or ignored the concerns of various trade and commerce sectors as well as environmentalists about the dangers in the entry of Japanese products, the death of some local industries, and the dumping of Japan’s hazardous and toxic wastes in this country.
How strange indeed that Roxas did not mind all these after just a month of vacation from Congress last December. Before the congressional recess he even warned his fellow senators that if they vote for the JPEPA, the pact will surely fail.
That is why concerned businessmen and traders and environmentalists are wondering why he has so suddenly turned around from his original stand. This, many say, is the mark of a weak leader.
Well, in the coming 2010 presidential elections, Filipinos will have another chance to choose the kind of leader that they have longed for, one who will lead the country to victory, and certainly not a presidential wannabe who can only offer a "draw or lose" in a crucial issue like the controversial JPEPA, and not a "win-win" formula that is a mark of a true and strong national leader.
