Philippine fisherfolks seek international support against Philippine-Japan trade deal
All Headline News | November 26, 2007
Philippine Fisherfolks Seek International Support Against Philippine-Japan Trade Deal
Komfie Manalo - AHN News Writer
Manila, Philippines (AHN) — An alliance of Philippines fishermen is trying to protect itself and Philippine waters from being over fished by huge Japanese factory fishing ships.
Philippine fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas is seeking support from other fisherfolk movements to do this. It is seeking support from alliances in Latin America, European Union, South Africa, Central Asia, Western Asia, North Asia, South Asia, East Asia and Oceania, including Southeast Asian countries, to support its opposition to the alleged one-sided economic treaty favoring Japanese transnational interests in the fishing industry.
Pamalakaya spokesman Gerry Albert Corpuz said, "We are launching and raising our anti-Jpepa advocacy at the international level by attending this world gathering of fisher people and submitting the Filipino fisherfolk declaration against Jpepa for adoption and approval."
Corpuz said once the global leaders of fisherfolk movement signed the resolution, Pamalakaya will submit the document to the Philippine Senate. Each senator will be given a copy of the signed declaration during the next hearing on Jpepa set on Dec. 13.
Earlier, the group had warned senators - especially presidentiables and re-electionist senators in 2010 - that they would suffer electoral backlash if they vote in favor the economic agreement. The group said it could influence between 1 million to 3 million fisherfolk voters in the May 2010 elections.
Pamalakaya has been asserting that Jpepa is a one-sided agreement aimed at addressing the current predicament facing the fisheries sector of Japan. The group said under Jpepa, Japan factory ships will enter the country’s fishing waters to catch tuna and other high value fish crops in the Philippines exclusive economic zone.
The group said Japanese factory ships are capable of harvesting not less than 200,000 metric tons of tuna worth $947 million or P 43.5 B. This would affect the P 18-B local tuna industry, including 180,000 tuna workers and tuna fishermen in Mindanao.
Pamalakaya’s Corpuz said that aside from Jpepa, there were two other critical issues. He said those were offshore mining in the Visayan Sea particularly in Ta?on Strait, which is a protected seascape separating the island provinces of Cebu and Negros, and Cebu-Bohol Strait, a body of water separating the island provinces of Cebu and Bohol, and the issue of Guimaras oil spill victims. All three of those issues will also be brought for resolutions during the assembly.
