STATEMENT OF SEN. MAR ROXAS ON THE SC'S DECISION RE: JPEPA

"I respect the Supreme Court's decision upholding executive privilege over the JPEPA negotiations. I agree that this prerogative must be respected, especially as this involves sensitive diplomatic exchanges between two sovereign nations. However, after the negotiations are over, any treaty or agreement that is submitted for Senate ratification must be made available to the public.

"I believe that in negotiating the JPEPA, our government should and could have done better: first, in consulting all stakeholders concerned and the general public even prior to the start of formal bilateral talks; second, in consolidating all of these positions into a comprehensive national negotiating stance; and lastly, in ensuring that the national interest is protected at all times in engaging trade negotiations.

"There is a need for the creation of a Philippine Trade Representative Office to promote and institutionalize the public consultation process as an important component of all trade negotiations. There is also a need for a Free Information Act to ensure public access to government documents and information in line with the provision of the Constitution on transparency.

"When I was DTI Secretary, I was privileged to be the country's chief negotiator in WTO-Cancun. A key lesson learned from that face-off in the Doha Round was the critical importance of understanding and reconciling the disparate positions of every stakeholder group on vital components of international trade: from agriculture, to industry, to services, to the other issues and rules governing trade. This led to strong political backing from all constituents that enabled us to be a voice to reckon with in WTO. That same spirit of transparency and inclusion were not felt in the JPEPA negotiations."