The Philippines Talks Tough On Trade With APEC Partnersff

The Philippines reproach the developed economies of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to be more fair in their treatment of its products under the concept of trade liberalization, during the 10th APEC Summit this weekend. The APEC Member Economies are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papu New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taipei, Thailand, US and Vietnam.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said President Macapagal-Arroyo is not happy about the unfair treatment that the Philippine tuna pro­ducts and other products are receiving from its rich APEC partners.  “Big economies should practice what they teach [on trade liberalization,” Bunye quoted the President as saying.
The President arrived last Friday in Los Cabos, Mexico at 10:40 p.m. (Mexico time) after a two-hour stopover in Los Angeles, California to attend the 10th APEC Summit on October 26th and 27th.

Accompanying the President were First Gentleman Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo, Bunye, Presidential Management Staff chief Silvestre Afable Jr. and Ambassador Marciano Paynor.
According to Bunye, the President emphasizes that the Philippines has done its part in opening up its market to foreign products under trade liberalization, even to the detriment of local producers.
But unfortunately, Bunye said, the rich countries, in particular, have not done their part of the bargain by setting up barriers to the unimpeded flow of Philippine products to their markets.   “If we are the ones looking for new market opportunities, it seems we are getting certain restrictions from these countries until now,” Bunye said.

One issue that the President has taken up strongly is with the US government over its unfair treatment of canned tuna products, which is considered one of the major economic props in violence-prone Mindanao.
Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo was set to discuss with US President Bush the issue during their one-on-one meeting during the APEC Summit and demand preferential treatment for Philippine canned tuna products entering the American market.
It will be recalled that the President had reminded the Americans that the Philippines was one of the countries that pledged full support to the US war on terrorism, following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, DC.

In Manila, presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao agreed with Bunye’s assessment.  He confirmed that the Department of Trade and Industry had reported “disagreeable” concessions that local export products are getting from foreign markets.
“We are really getting restrictions from these countries, and they are the advocates of liberalization,” Tiglao told Malacañang reporters. “That is correct; they [developed APEC countries] should do what they preach.”

He refused to identify the APEC countries perceived as treating the Philippine export products unfairly, saying this might jeopardize ongoing negotiations to open their markets to local items.