Sludge Watch ==> Philippines won't be dumping ground for Japanese Sludge

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Toronto wants to dump on London Ontario....
Los Angeles wants to dump on Kern County, Hinkley, and Arizona
Japan wants to dump on the Philippines.

If you're rich you send your crap to your poor neighbors.

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http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=54273

'RP won't be dumping ground of Japanese waste'


ABS-CBN Bandila

The Philippines will not be a dumping ground of Japanese toxic wastes under 
the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) signed in 
September by the two governments.

Trade Secretary Peter Favila said that the negotiating panels of both 
countries tossed the issue of toxic and hazardous wastes on the bargaining 
table. "Iyon ang alas na hawak natin (That's the ace we've got)," ABS-CBN's 
Bandila newscast quoted him as saying.

"It is a strategy para hindi tayo bumigay ng iba nating produkto na 
kailangan natin bigyan ng sapat na proteksyon (It is a strategy so we won't 
trade our other products that need adequate protection from taxes)," he 
added.

President Arroyo and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signed JPEPA 
in September. The agreement entails the removal of tariffs on several 
products exported to both countries and expands trade between the two.

The deal, however, is also open to the interpretation that Japan could ship 
its garbage, particularly toxic wastes, to the Philippines, in exchange for 
the lowering of tariffs on Philippine products such as pineapple, banana, 
sugar and even services such as the hiring of Filipino health workers.

Under JPEPA, pharmaceutical, clinical and chemical waste and sewage sludge 
are allowed to be transported to the Philippines free from tariffs.

But Favila insisted that the inclusion of toxic wastes, hospital refuse and 
expired medicines is just part of the strategy.

The environmental group Greenpeace, meanwhile, said that even if toxic waste 
is not part of the bargain, it would still be considered illegal to ship 
recyclable garbage from Japan to the Philippines.

The "recyclables" include out-of-model cellular phones and laptop computers, 
among others, that contain materials hazardous to health.

"Brominated flame retardants are toxic and can cause diseases," said Beau 
Bacongis, Greenpeace toxics campaigner.

JPEPA has yet to implemented, however, because the Philippine Senate will 
still have to debate on the issue if the trade agreement would benefit the 
country or not.

'Rest assured...'

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, meanwhile, said the government will 
still look into the allegations by environmentalists.

"We will not allow anything that is against our environment. If it is 
against our environment, that is against our interest," Ermita told 
reporters.

"It is about time that we take a look [at] it [as] this thing came about," 
Ermita said, admitting that he was not fully aware of the provisions of 
JPEPA.

Favila said that while the lowering of tariffs on certain goods, including 
toxic wastes, would "theoretically" allow easy entry of these materials to 
the Philippines, local and international laws provide the necessary 
restrictions.

He said JPEPA, being a comprehensive free trade agreement, had to include 90 
percent of products covered by tariffs. He said the questionable provision 
in the trade pact, Article 29, "actually has no validity but was part of an 
overall negotiating strategy."

He said the controversial provision actually allowed the Philippines to 
negotiate aggressively for the entry of more Filipino nurses and caregivers 
to Japan. He denied that there had been an attempt to hide the provision.

In fact, the agreement is now in the Department of Trade and Industry’s Web 
site.

He also emphasized the need for strengthening bilateral deal with Japan in 
view of greater competition from other global markets. "Without the cover of 
a bilateral agreement, Philippine exporters’ share of the Japanese market - 
our second largest export market - will be further eroded by countries 
aggressively pursuing negotiations with Japan," he said.

Sen. Pia Cayetano, meanwhile, said JPEPA "would go through the eye of the 
needle" once it is submitted for Senate concurrence.

"I am supportive of government efforts to give our health workers access to 
the Japanese labor market, but I don’t think trading this for the 
environment and the health of our own people should even be considered," she 
said.

She said Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes, in an earlier budget hearing, 
confirmed that JPEPA would indeed allow the entry of waste from Japan, 
provided the procedure is in accordance with the Philippines’ and global 
environmental laws.

Cayetano found the agreement unacceptable, noting that the government has 
not even fully implemented the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 
despite its passage into law almost six years ago.

Sen. Jamby Madrigal said JPEPA was "a sellout," and that "Mrs. Arroyo sold 
the interest of the Filipino people’’ when she signed the deal. Madrigal 
said Congress should investigate the matter. With reports from Charo 
Logarta, The World Tonight and The Philippine Star.