LOREN WORRIED ABOUT ENVIRONMENT IF RP-JAPAN
TRADE TREATY IS OK'D

Sen. Loren Legarda yesterday expressed strong concern over the possible adverse effect on the environment in the Philippines if the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) is approved.

Senator Legarda expressed her concern and reservations for the treaty during the hearing conducted by the Senate on the agreement.

The senator was commenting on a report of the Department of Trade and Industry that the Philippines was expected to export to Japan additional wood products and minerals out of the 3,755 product lines benefited by lower tariff rates provided in the agreement. The incremental export gains of the Philippines would amount to $405 million, the DTI said.

Loren expressed concern that the additional export of wood products and minerals by the Philippines would further devastate the local environment because it would encourage intensified logging activities further denuding the forests and also promote more mining activities, thus destroying the physical ecology of the countryside.

"Would the incremental export earnings from wood products and minerals offset the costs that would be borne by our government and our people due to the further destruction of our forests and rural countryside?" asked Loren.

"I am afraid this provision would further seriously further destroy our environment and expose our people to more risks from natural catastrophes like floods, droughts and climate change," bemoaned Loren.

"I cannot accept the fact that our people would be exposed to additional danger from natural catastrophes and atmosphere pollution just for a few more dollars in the short run, but in the long run we will spend more to restore our forests and our landscapes to their former glories," lamented Loren.

She cited the pollution of the waters of Sorsogon due to mining toxic wastes which caused a fish kill that deprived Filipino fishermen of their livelihood and led to more hunger from the people in the coastal areas. On the other hand, logging in an island in Romblon had divided the population, resulting in the killing of an environmental activist. Excessive logging has also caused hundreds of deaths due to flash floods.

"Why should the majority of our people, consisting of fishermen, farmers and ordinary citizens suffer just to give a few corporations more dollar profits, which anyway will result in more expenses by our people to cover up for the damage done for the sake of those profits?" asked Loren.

She urged the administration to renegotiate the treaty in order to protect the local environment. Aside from the danger to the environment caused by intensified logging and mining activities, the Philippines could also become a dumping ground of toxic wastes from Japan if JPEPA is approved, she warned.

Loren is a firm environmentalist, having been awarded as a journalist for her television program promoting a clean environment. She is also founder of the Luntiang Pilipinas Foundation that has planted two million trees throughout the archipelago to reduce air pollution. Aside from other bills protecting the environment, Loren also co-authored the "Anti-Smoking" law to prevent further air pollution.