Despite charges of this free trade partnership being unequal, the Philippine Senate is close to finally giving this stalled agreement a nod. Among the benefits being played up is the widening of the overseas market for Filipino health care workers, including nurses and caregivers. With the stiff requirement for nurses and caregivers to take the Japanese national exams in Japanese before they would be admitted as regular workers, it seems the road to the US, Middle East and Europe for our health care professionals is closer still.
Roxas sees likely JPEPA ratification By Veronica Uy
Agence France-Presse, INQUIRER.net
First Posted 14:18:00 01/15/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- A controversial free trade deal with Japan opposed by environmentalists and nationalists is set to be ratified by the Senate later this month, Senator Manuel Roxas II said Tuesday.
The report of the Senate committee on trade and commerce on the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) will be circulated by the end of January, said Roxas, the committee chairman.
Roxas said the report to be drafted by the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and on Trade and Commerce will be circulated shortly after session resumes on January 28 for the review and signature of both committees’ members before being reported out to plenary.
While the Philippines may end up losing when it opens up some protected sectors when the treaty is signed, it stood to lose much more if it failed to open up, Roxas said.
He admitted that “in and of itself, the treaty text of the JPEPA is not providing us so much†in terms of real gains.
He said that whatever potential gains there are in terms of increased market access for Philippine goods into Japan will “require behavior by Philippine businesses and the Philippine government that heretofore we have not seen.â€
"I've concluded that there is not much gain that is inherent in the treaty thus far, but the loss is definitely calculable," he told the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines.
“Without preempting our committee report, and based on the results of our hearings, I’ve concluded that there is not much gain that is inherent in the treaty, as negotiated, thus far. But the loss arising from not ratifying it is certainly calculable and definite,†he said.
“I will certainly be circulating it among my colleagues and trying to convince them to come along on board. With respect to the treaty, it’s a two-thirds [vote] requirement [in plenary]. We’ll see what happens, whether in fact the 16 [votes] are available,†he added.
Many of Manila's Asian neighbors have signed or are negotiating similar treaties with Tokyo.
Asked if the deal is to be ratified, he said: "I myself am advocating it."
The deal, which would immediately remove all tariffs on about 80 percent of Philippine exports to Japan by value, has already been signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and ratified by the Japanese parliament.
Critics want the Senate to kill the deal, saying any jobs created would be mostly low-paying entry-level positions, and that the agreement would allow Japan to dump toxic waste in the Philippines.
The allegation has been denied by Japan, which earlier said it considered the pact a "landmark" in bilateral relations.
Roxas launched a review of the proposed treaty amid the uproar.
As far as the issues concerning the Constitutionality and legality of the JPEPA treaty, he said he will defer final judgment to Senator Miriam Santiago, chair of the committee on foreign relations and a constitutional expert.
He said he has been consulting with Santiago, who, according to him, has so far said “she’s fairly comfortable the Constitutional issues have been surmounted.â€
Among the disadvantages of not ratifying the JPEPA, said Roxas, would be the exclusion of the Philippines from the free trade area between Japan and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which will soon be formalized in a few months.
In the automotive sector, Roxas said whether or not the treaty is ratified, the Philippines would have to face greater competition in the manufacturing of completely built units (CBUs). The competition would include other ASEAN countries with EPAs with Japan.
For nurses and caregivers, he said although Filipinos would have to take an exam in Nihonggo, the government would aid through language seminars and training.
Roxas said that by itself, JPEPA will not cause the unbridled entry of toxic wastes and hazardous substances from Japan.
In an earlier interview with INQUIRER.net, an official of the Japanese embassy in Manila said Tokyo is unlikely to re-negotiate the treaty if Manila does not ratify it.
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