After the first state of the nation address (SONA) of President Aquino and only a month since he sworn into office, environmental groups are apprehensive over indications that the current administration may not be environmental at all.
The groups, headed by Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE), has noted some of Aquino’s pronouncements and moves that demonstrate President …

“We are not surprised that the JPEPA has been approved while the rest of the country is not watching. This treaty has been negotiated by Malacanang and signed by Ms Gloria Arroyo in virtual secrecy. The undemocratic and non-transparent manner with which the deal has been conceived has resulted in a seriously flawed agreement that threatens to further destroy the jobs and livelihood of Filipino workers, farmers and fishers and further destroy local industries and stunt long-term economic development.”

Indonesian officials said Indonesia’s main exports, such as agricultural products and timber, will continue to face high non-tariff barriers in the form of quality standards, while Japanese high-tech imports will be able to enter the Indonesian market with lower import taxes.

Activists from the NO DEAL! Movement today swam a distance of around 10 kilometers as part of continuing efforts to convince the Senate to reject the flawed Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA). “This is a challenge to our senators to say a ‘categorical no’ to Japan instead of a ‘conditional yes’ as proposed by Senator Miriam Santiago,” NO DEAL! Movement …

27 April 2008, Quezon City, Philippines – Sectors from the urban poor, farmers, nurses, fisherfolk, labor and the environment today gathered at a press conference, calling on the members of the Senate to reject the conditional concurrence resolution that Senator Miriam Santiago unveiled during her privilege speech at the Senate re-opening early last week.
The Magkaisa Junk JPEPA Coalition (MMJC) expressed …

Apologists for the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) continue to claim that the treaty’s ratification will mean more employment and foreign remittances for Filipinos. But according to independent research group IBON, JPEPA highlights the Philippine government’s insensitivity to nurses and caregivers.
IBON research head Sonny Africa says that government is trying to portray that the JPEPA is a clear-cut …

As the Senate resumes its sessions today, independent think-tank IBON Foundation again urged senators to reject the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) saying that the P365 billion in investments that the deal will supposedly bring is too high a price to pay for the death of the local manufacturing sector.
As it is, the long-term liberalization of the economy has further …

The JPEPA can be best described in three words: unequal, defeatist and destructive. Recent government propaganda, however, has been trying to depict the JPEPA as an indispensable agreement– even as the country is currently reeling from a food crisis brought about by the same neoliberal framework that JPEPA was designed from.

Independent think-tank IBON Foundation criticizes Trade Secretary Peter Favila for seemingly conditioning the public that the controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) will be approved before the month ends.
JPEPA, a bilateral trade deal that eliminates tariffs on Japanese industrial goods, faces strong opposition for a host of issues including estimated revenue losses for RP of P10.6 billion yearly due to …