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Review on RCEP impact to agri sought: Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri calls for a review on the impact of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement to the livelihood of local farmers in the country as the Senate Committee of the Whole conducted Tuesday, December 14, 2021 a hybrid inquiry into the rampant smuggling of agricultural products into the country and the efficacy of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to stop it. RCEP is a free trade agreement (FTA) between the 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its five FTA partners namely Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea. While RCEP may be able to help the export industries for their products to penetrate the signatory countries, Zubiri pointed out that the FTA will lay a heavy burden not only on local farmers but also in other industries that cannot compete internationally at this point in time. “I suggest we have another hearing where we call the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) and the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) to shed light on the possible scenario once we ratify or if we ratify the Regional Comprehensive Partnership. The country is a signatory already and it (RCEP) would take effect on January 1, 2022. That’s why we need to discuss this thoroughly on the effect of this agreement to our agricultural sector,” Zubiri said. (Screen grab / Senate PRIB)