RP-Japan treaty imperiled in Senate
It looks like the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, JPEPA for short, will face a rough sailing in the Senate. Sen. Chiz Escudero has threatened to block its passage, a move, I was told, would be supported by a bipartisan group.If a konfrontasi between the executive and the legislative comes, I am sure that we will be back to the prolonged debate during the bases regime. At that time, we didn’t know what kind of international agreement required Senate ratification. As for Chiz, he thinks JPEPA needs to be looked into by the upper chamber.
Political Adviser Gabriel Claudio believes that the RP-Japan accord “has a very good chance of ratification by the Senate… for its relevance and urgency.” Note that JPEPA was one of the bills last Tuesday at the first Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac). Claudio believes senators will decide on the basis of the national interest.
Although Chiz has substantial suggestions, the Sorsogon lawmaker appears more agitated by the form and timing of JPEPA. For instance, he says, “JPEPA cannot breeze through the Senate principally because of the manner by which this treaty was conceived. The entire deal was shrouded in secrecy.” He also thought the government did not consult the public on the treaty.
Consult the public on the contents of treaty? That must be difficult to do because at the time of the bases, some NGOs wanted to have a referendum on the future of the US facilities before calling for negotiations. But the government, then headed by President Aquino, did not agree with consulting the public.
At the Ledac meeting, the President said that the JPEPA is an accomplished fact, as far as the Japanese Parliament is concerned. Apparently, they have a single ratification process there: The Japanese negotiator is automatically armed with legislative support when he signs a treaty with a foreign country.
JPEPA is important to Japan, especially since it wants to secure Manila as a market ahead of its rival, China. It is also important for us because we are a trade partner and aid receiver. More often than not, we are at a psychological disadvantage when it comes to our ties with Japan because we are beholden to the Japanese.
A weak Senate in the making
This Senate will be a weak all throughout its term up to 2010, hobbled as it is by ambitions and self-interest. You can see that the Villar presidency cannot move without being criticized by those affected by his decisions.
The ability of Senate President Manny Villar to manage the conflicts in the Senate is being tested by the intransigence of his critics—Sens. Ping Lacson and Jamby Madrigal. These two believe that the opposition, being the majority, should get the plum committee posts.
In the premartial law days, it was easier to manage the Philippine Senate because what existed then was a two-party system. Today, there is chaos because senators come from various parties, not to mention that some of them have presidential ambitions.
The important question is whether the Senate could be a potent instrument to exercise oversight functions over the executive. My answer is no. Unless the senators agree to unite—today.
Challenge to Sec. Gilbert Teodoro
In his role as defense chief, Secretary Gilbert Teodoro faces the challenges of a job that requires solving extra-judicial killings, the insurgency, the secessionist movement, a politicized officer corps and probably the mood in some sectors in Washington to reduce military aid to RP.
But there is one problem he could easily handle without controversy: Preparing the ways and means for disaster-preparedness that periodically engulfs the archipelago. Good luck!
