Drilon warns against pitfalls of uncontrolled glo

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon has warned against "unbridled globalization," which, he said, could widen the economic and social disparities between the developed and developing countries.

"Uncontrolled opening of markets will create chaos and disruptions for developing countries who are not able to establish the economic and social policy framework required for globalization," Drilon said in his address last Sept. 11 before the 106th International Parliamentarians Union (IPU) conference in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

For globalization to succeed in the Philippines and other developing countries, Drilon said the developed world should redefine the concept of reciprocity, which would offer concrete benefits not just mere tariff concessions to developing countries.

He urged the implementation of the special and differential treatment in the GATT Agreements in recognition of the disadvantages faced by developing countries. He called on the World Trade Organization to be more attuned to the needs of developing countries.

In the area of labor markets, Drilon said that while the developing countries have opened their doors to the inflow of capital from developed countries, there is no reciprocal agreement with the developed countries to relax the barriers to labor mobility.

"In fact, our migrant workers do not even receive fair and equal treatment and opportunity in foreign lands. They are the very same people who lost their jobs due to the introduction of new and modern technology," he said.

Drilon called on the rich countries to fulfill their promise to set aside 0.7 percent of their gross national product as official development assistance (ODA) to poor countries.

He deplored the "continuing decline in the inflow of ODA which has resulted into countries slipping back to greater underdevelopment."

According to Drilon, there should be genuine reform in the international financial architecture to prevent the recurrence of another financial crisis similar to that in East Asia in 1997-1998 and those of Russia and Brazil in 1998-1999, which, he said, were due to the unsaddled economic interdependence that globalization fosters.

"Our concerns are valid and will remain valid for so long as the globalization process is not rooted in equity, fairness and a genuine concern for the welfare of the poor and developing countries," Drilon told the global assembly of parliamentarians.

Together with Drilon in the African conference was Sen. Blas Ople, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations.