THE Department of Agriculture and other negotiators should push for safeguards for local farm and industrial products in the World Trade Organization Ministerial Meeting starting today, July 21, in Geneva.

R1 rice advocacy group convenor Jessica Reyes-Cantos said, “The safeguards as they are laid down in the latest draft modalities are not enough to defend our already badly beaten agricultural sector. Allowing unbridled importation of rice and other agriculture products will be tantamount to giving up on the vision of [the agricultural department] for food self-sufficiency.” 

Cantos said the Philippine average bound tariff in agriculture in the Philippine position is at a very low of 36 percent, unilaterally giving up on tariff protection for local industries.

“We cannot afford to agree to an unbalanced and unfair deal just so we will not be accused of stalling the round. Foremost in the mandate of the trade negotiators as representatives of the Filipinos is to purposely correct these inequalities,” she said. The R1 statements were in response to Trade Undersecretary Tomas Aquino’s remarks the other day that appeared to show the Philippines has surrendered to the developed countries.

Aquino said, “It’s reality check now for us. Their [US, Japan] suppliers and buyers will only want to deal with their counterparts whose governments are friendly to theirs,” and that it would be in the interest of the Philippines not to be seen by its trading partners as a country that is blocking the negotiations.

“We call on [Agriculture] Secretary Arthur Yap to assert that developing countries like the Philippines should be allowed at least 20 percent of agricultural tariff lines to be accorded as special products, and not the current proposal of 10 percent to 18 percent only,” said Cantos.

WB keen on hiking loans to RP, bares project plans

THE World Bank is keen on significantly increasing its loans to the Philippines in the next two years as the bank only extended loans worth $250 million last year, according to a bank official.

RP urged to push for safeguards on local farm, industrial products in WTO meeting

THE Department of Agriculture and other negotiators should push for safeguards for local farm and industrial products in the World Trade Organization Ministerial Meeting starting today, July 21, in Geneva.

Bizmen in C. Visayas banking on exports, tourism to keep regional economy afloat

WHILE the country’s economy is slowing down, economists and businessmen in Central Visayas are optimistic the region will fare better based on strong performances by exporters and an ever-expanding tourism industry.

Calaca winning bidder seeks Napocor rate increase

HOPING to update power-generation rates to a comfortable level to power operators, Suez Energy Asia, winning bidder of the 600-megawatt Calaca coal-fired power plant, appealed to Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) that the rate of National Power Corp. (Napocor) be adjusted as a precondition to the closing of the $787-million transaction.

Napocor expects power rates to remain stable until ’09

GOVERNMENT-RUN National Power Corp. (Napocor) expressed optimism its overall rates would not increase as much until next year amid a number of pending petition including generation—rate adjustment mechanism (GRAM), incremental currency-exchange rate adjustment (Icera), as well as its petition to increase it basic generation rate by P0.3685 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to P4.26/kWh.

NIA targets repair, rehab of irrigation systems covering 142,255 has.

THE National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is targeting the repair and rehabilitation of irrigation systems covering an area of 142,255 hectares this year as an initial step to increasing the cropping intensity.

CA issues TRO stopping Batangas court from implementing Steel Corp. rehab

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has issued a 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Batangas City from implementing its December 3, 2007, ruling which placed  Steel Corp. of the Philippines under rehabilitation.