Free-trade deal not in US trip agenda
Manila Bulletin, 2 September 2005
Free-trade deal not in US trip agenda
By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT
Trade and Industry Secretary Peter B. Favila said the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the US is not in the agenda of President Gloria Arroyo’s state visit to the US.
Favila said there is nothing yet in the President’s US trip agenda that deals on the business aspect.
"The FTA is not in the President’s US trip agenda," he said.
Reports, however, said that a meeting with cigarette maker Philip Morris is being worked out.
Philip Morris Philippines president Cris Nelson is joining the President’s trip as member of the US-ASEAN Business Council.
But company spokesperson Dave Gomez said there is no agreement that Philip Morris will be signing during the President’s meeting. The cigarette maker has a huge cigarette manufacturing facility in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
President Arroyo is flying to Saudi Arabia on September 11 to 13 for the installation of the new king of the Kingdom. From there, the president will head off to the US in time for the United Nations 60TH Summit.
Arroyo will also preside in some sessions and meeting of the UN Security Council where the Philippines is the chairman.
On the Saudi trip, Favila said there is no business deal or meeting.
"There is nothing on this trip yet," Favila said. But he said he is just merely coordinating with the business delegation of the trip since there are businessmen who would like to join the President’s trip.
On the proposed FTA, the Philippines is starting to conduct discussions on the proposal whether the government should enter into an exploratory process towards a negotiation with the US.
An FTA with the US was proposed by the US-ASEAN Business Council.
Foreign Affairs Undersecre-tary Edsel T. Custodio said the Philippines has no problem when it comes to trade issues on the proposed RP-US free trade agreement but has to work on non-core trade agenda such as regulatory policies on investment, competition, government procurement, labor, governance and environment.
"It is not a trade issue," Custodio said of the proposed FTA noting that some regional trade agreements and bilateral FTAs are somewhat drenched with political issues.
The non-core trade agenda has been pushed by some developing countries in the World Trade Organization but was met with equal resistance from developing countries.
Thus, the proposed FTA with a developing country and a developed one like the RP-US would be expected to touch on the noncore trade agenda.
