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Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Dumaguete: Farmers call for junking of Japan-RP pact (8:10 p.m.)
By Edmund B. Sestoso
DUMAGUETE--Farmers in Negros Oriental joined their counterparts in the national level in the intensified campaign for the junking of the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Eugene Quirante, Philippine Peasant Institute (PPI) liaison officer for Negros Oriental, said the international agreement would put the farmers at a disadvantage contrary to earlier claims by the national government.
He said that based on the studies made by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), it was revealed that with JPEPA the agriculture sector will suffer.
Based on the studies, Quirante explained that if JPEPA will push through, there will be contraction and unemployment in the agriculture sector.
Further, he said it remains a fact that investors are hesitant to come to the Philippines because of high power costs, poor infrastructure, and rampant corruption.
"The JPEPA is not a magic wand that will eliminate all these factors," added Quirante. (Sunnex) |
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