The general review of the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement has reached an impasse as Manila’s insistence that Tokyo includes in the renegotiation table – market access issue or preferential if not zero tariff rates for its agricultural products – fell on deaf ears.
“We’re really prioritizing our review and to keep it up-to-date with other FTAs whether regional or bilateral that the country has already been a party to,” he stressed adding that by doing so this will make the PJEPA relevant particularly on preferential access to each other’s markets. Instead of hearing out the Philippines, DTI’s Director at the Bureau of International Trade Relations Angelo Salvador Benedictos said that Japan would like to talk about lower tariffs for its industrial products exports to the country such as steel and petrochemicals.
One of the reasons why bananas remain a sagging industry in our country paulsalarm