By the way, nia diay ko'y gisulat nga interview bahin aning pagkalangan sa approval sa agreement nga makapadala na unta ug nurses and health care workers sa Japan...
Conferido talks on delay in caregiver deploymentPHILIPPINES TODAYInterview by Benigno D. Tutor, Jr.Philippine Labor Attache Reydeluz D. Conferido has been through the most tumultuous time in his Tokyo stint, arduously trying to shore up the country’s employment niche in Japan’s entertainment industry since he assumed his post on November 1, 2004.
Labor Attache Reydeluz D. Conferido reminds us that other countries will not sit still while the Philippine Senate drags its heels on the bilateral free trade agreement with Japan allowing a limited number of Filipino nurses and caregivers.However, Japan finally enforced its Action Plan on Anti-Human Trafficking through a revised Immigration Law passed in March 2005, which effectively halted the deployment of Filipino entertainers to Japan by the end of that year. For the entire 2006, not more than 5,000 Filipinos have been allowed to Japan to work as entertainers.
With the signing of Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) on September 9, 2006, Conferido had hoped to usher in a new era for Philippine labor deployment, focusing on the more high-end caregivers and nurses. But the process of unhinging this frontier is stalled at the Senate, whose approval is needed for the first 400 nurses and 600 caregivers to be allowed to Japan.
Conferido recently gave Philippines Today an updated picture of the situation.
Q1: How do you foresee the vote in the Senate on the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) to go?R: Lately, the dynamics in our Philippine legislature have shown so many twists and turns that it would be foolhardy for anyone to boast that he could read everything definitively. However, as a believer in our democratic institutions, I am optimistic that however the dynamics flow, our legislators would ultimately vote on the basis of what they see as in the best interest of our country and in accordance with the light that God gives them.
Q2: What are specific items in the JPEPA are problematic for the Senate?R: From what we could read in the newspapers and according to those who have attended some of the public hearings that the Senate has conducted on JPEPA, the questions that have been posed against the ratification of the JPEPA are based on the erroneous perception that the JPEPA – because it provided zero tariff to certain products that may be considered waste – could be used as justification to dump toxic waste products from Japan to the Philippines, and the feeling by certain sectors that the concessions and gains in agricultural trade did not turn in favor of the Philippines.
There are also sentiments that JPEPA negotiations should have linked the treatment of our entertainers in the discussion of the movement of natural persons.
The issue on toxic waste does not have a strong ground because JPEPA recognizes the right of the parties to enforce their respective environmental laws in relation to the import and export of products. Thus, the Philippines has the right to deny acceptance of any importation that violates our environmental laws. Moreover, JPEPA upholds the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal. Thus, the parties cannot ignore the environmental safeguards guaranteed by that convention just because of JPEPA.
On the issue of the fairness of the outcome of negotiations in the agriculture sector, I am not an expert on this matter so I will not dare comment on it. However, what I know is that the lead agencies in the various negotiation areas conducted extensive consultations with the affected sectors and negotiated on the basis of the inputs they have managed to secure from those consultations.
As in most cases, negotiations do not always result 100 percent on what we want to achieve. They involve a process of give and take that takes into account not only present day interests but also of long term views. Sometimes you make concessions in the short term so you could achieve better results in the long haul.
As regards the entertainers, the parties have agreed that the issues involving them are separate matters that are better dealt outside of JPEPA.
Q3: What happens if the Senate votes the JPEPA down?R: This is a highly theoretical question. But should this happen, our political framework provides that the agreement could not be effective. Thus, the parties have the option to re-negotiate or to adopt a stand still option. But I believe that our legislators would take into account the hard work and good faith invested by negotiators of both countries to come up with the agreement, the imprimatur of the countries’ leaders, and the future relationship of the Philippines and Japan.
Q4: I heard that after JPEPA was signed on September 9, 2006, other Southeast Asian countries have followed suit, demanding that their health care workers be given access to Japan as well. How does this development affect us?R: This is expected. Actually, Japan had earlier proposed a framework economic partnership agreement with the whole of ASEAN. The bilateral negotiation initiatives have been pursued because the multilateral process of trade liberalization has suffered some setbacks. But it would be difficult to turn the world around away from globalization and further trade liberalization. It is just like a rush of tide that finds various means to seek its level, in the process going around various hurdles.
And with globalization and information technology revolution, information spreads around fast, nothing is hidden, and all concerned are free to utilize those information to pursue their respective interests.
This means that our government and all concerned have to realize that others will not stand still if we do. Others will pursue their interests and compete with us. Thus, we have to act fast on our interests and utilize agreements to our advantage. We have to understand our advantages and leverages and use them to protect our cause. We could also use those information to invoke fairness from among those with whom we deal. We should make them realize that like them our people receive information from all over the world and will take the best opportunities presented to them.
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