GMA to push JPEPA ratification before new Congress

President Arroyo said yesterday she will push for the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) when the new Congress opens in July.

In a pooled interview following a televised round table discussion on inflation at Malacañang, Mrs. Arroyo cited the lengthy debates in Congress on the proposed anti-terrorism bill or the Human Security Act of 2007 as one of the reasons why lawmakers failed to ratify the free trade pact.

At the same time, controversies linked to the agreement, such as the alleged inclusion of a provision that would allegedly result in the dumping of toxic wastes from Japan into the country also affected legislative discussions on the agreement, she said.

"When (Japanese) Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe came here (in December), he ratified it before he came as a gift to the Filipino people so of course I am sure he was expecting the same thing from us," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo and former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signed the JPEPA in Helsinki, Finland in September last year at the sidelines of the 6th Asia-Europe Summit.

The JPEPA was submitted to the Senate after the signing for ratification.

To hasten its implementation, she said she will issue an executive order setting the tariffs in line with the trade agreement. – Paolo Romero