Bahay Ni Juan

 Labor Slams Mar Roxas

The Alliance of Progressive Labor today slammed Sen. Mar Roxas for his push to ratify the JPEPA saying that it is a betrayal of workers’ interests and a sell out of the country’s sovereignty.

“Despite Constitutional infirmities pointed out by eminent Constitutionalists, Sen. Roxas is still oblivious to the harm that JPEPA will wreak on us,” said APL Secretary General Josua Mata. “He is using scare tactics as a means to plunge us headlong into a treaty that is unprecedented in its scandalous sell out of Philippine interests.”

“Never mind that the government has been unable to support its data on economic benefits from JPEPA, never mind that the counterpart agreements signed by Japan with our neighbors are far more superior than JPEPA,” said Mata, “Roxas would still have us believe that the JPEPA is worthy of our support.”

“The lowering and elimination of tariff rates on all but a few of the country’s product lines as compared to Japan’s 283 reservations makes this treaty unpalatable,” said Mata. “Worst,
such tariff reductions would be tantamount to killing what local industries we have left and the jobs that go along with them.”

“More importantly, JPEPA will rob us of all elbow room to use trade for the country’s economic development,” said the labor leader.

And yet, Sen. Roxas still have the audacity to say, “I myself am advocating it.”

“It feels so odd that more than half a century after WWII, we are once again being sold out to the Japanese by another Roxas,” added Mata.

“This is utterly despicable and completely unworthy of someone aspiring to be president,” Mata added.

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