Pia on GMA's call for Senate to ratify JPEPA
Statement sent from Cape Town, South Africa

"President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should not be pressuring the Senate to ratify JPEPA (Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement). Instead she should be castigating her own government panel for doing a lousy job in securing the best possible agreement for our people.

"Anyone attending the hearings on JPEPA would have concluded that this agreement has so many loopholes and that the government panel miserably failed to secure terms favorable to Filipinos.

"I appreciate the efforts of Japan's representatives to explain and assure us of their good intentions. But it is not Japan's job to look out for our interest; that is the job of our negotiating panel. And as I have said, they have failed to do that.

"I hope that our experience in JPEPA sends a strong message to our future trade negotiators that ratification by the Senate is not a mere formality. We cannot be forced to accept a substandard agreement. It is our constitutional duty to scrutinize these agreements and if necessary, reject any agreement that does not meet the highest standards."