THE Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) is expected to face stiff opposition once the Philippine Senate starts its deliberations as opponents of the controversial trade pact vowed to launch their campaign against its ratification.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya (Pamalakaya) said as President Arroyo pushes for Senate ratification of Jpepa this July, the group will launch street protests and lobby against its passage and bring the issue to the court of public opinion and the highest court of the land.

Scores of street protests, active lobby at the Senate, all-out war in the court of public opinion and possibly a suit against Jpepa before the Supreme Court will characterize the “patriotic war” to be launched by cause-oriented groups, Pamalakaya said.

Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap expressed fear that even though the next Senate will be dominated by the political opposition, such political configuration is not an assurance that the trade treaty will be rejected by the new Senate.

Many of the senators are willing to ratify Jpepa if the Japanese and the Philippine government would agree to eliminate the provision on dumping of toxic waste. And if senators will just base their decision on that limited scope, they would be committing one of the biggest blunders in their entire political career as lawmakers, Hicap asserted.

“The RP-Japan trade pact is not about dumping of toxic waste alone. There are more controversial issues included in Jpepa, which are bigger, more sensitive and more catastrophic to the Filipinos,” he said. Ninety-nine percent of Jpepa is all about Japan’s agenda to take over the country’s national patrimony and exploitation of Filipino labor and natural resources, he said.

Pamalakaya suggested extensive debate on Jpepa, bringing it to various levels, from the grassroots communities, state and private colleges and universities, government offices and even the business forums to inform the public about the agreement, the pros and cons about the issue, saying sovereign and patrimonial rights of 86 million Filipinos is at stake.

The militant group noted that among the present batch of senators, only opposition Sen. Jamby Madrigal has openly declared her rejection of Jpepa. The other senators which include Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Richard Gordon, Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Mar Roxas, Ramon Revilla Jr., Lito Lapid and Juan Ponce Enrile were amenable to Jpepa if the toxic-waste provision is remove from the agreement.

Pamalakaya said the present batch of incoming senators headed by Manuel Villar, Loren Legarda, Panfilo Lacson, Francis Pangilinan, Benigno Aquino III, Allan Peter Cayetano and Joker Arroyo were also amenable to Jpepa, provided that the controversial provision on toxic waste will be deleted from the trade pact.

“The patriotic forces should work triple time to inform the senators about the real and entire nature and cruel intention of Jpepa. We should persuade them to decide on the side of the people guided by the framework of patriotism and love for national sovereignty and patrimony,” the militant group added.

GOVERNMENT-RUN National Power Corp. (Napocor) said Friday that more than 100 barangays on different islands of the country were given access to electricity by the Napocor-Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) under its Electrification of 100 Barangays program and part of its mandate to provide electricity to off-grid islands through missionary electrification.

THE amount and quality of the transition supply contract to be attached to the 600-megawatt Masinloc coal power plant will help Aboitiz Power Corp. (APC), the power arm of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, determine whether it will bid for the said power generating asset of the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

THE Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) is expected to face stiff opposition once the Philippine Senate starts its deliberations as opponents of the controversial trade pact vowed to launch their campaign against its ratification.

A NONGOVERNMENT organization (NGO) in the fisheries sector has asked the government to channel its support directly to seaweed farmers to make them more competitive against other Asian producers of seaweed.

THE Quezon City government, the richest among local government units (LGUs) in terms of collection and surplus, will not increase taxes during the fresh three-year term of Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr.