ISDS Case Map
Philippines
Discussions on the labor component of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) finally moved forward after Japan agreed to a non-quota deployment of Filipino nurses and caregivers, a labor official said.
Policymakers should realize that free trade agreements (FTAs) are neither necessary nor sufficient for economic growth, Dr. Josef Yap, president of the government think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies, said in a study.
Working draft of the agreement as of 21 April 2003
Both Filipino and Japanese workers will lose out under the proposed Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) according to a report by Mr. Takemasa Ando, a researcher from Waseda University in Tokyo.
The Philippines' top diplomat said Wednesday he hoped to sign a delayed free-trade deal with Japan in July to mark the 50th anniversary of the re-establishment of relations after World War II.
A visiting Japanese researcher accused her own government of extending international aid that runs counter to the interest of the Filipinos. Kayoko's observation came after members of the Philippine House of Representatives petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the government from finalizing an economic agreement with Japan.
The United States government is intensifying its economic relationship with the Philippines through the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) as the two countries work on starting negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA).
Akbayan Citizens' Action Party has asked the Philippine Supreme Court to stop the government from finalizing an economic agreement with Japan, which the party-list group alleges contains a provision that will allow this country to trade its hazardous and toxic waste products.
The Philippine exploratory mission to the US on the proposed specific preferential trading for the garment sector was met with cold treatment as top level government officials, Congress representatives and its private sector still prefer a comprehensive free trade area (FTA) agreement.
New Zealand has offered to sign a free trade agreement with the Philippines to boost bilateral relations, an official said yesterday.
