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Focus on the Philippines Number 33 |
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WTO Framework: A Road map to Catastrophe!
Joint Statement of farmers, fisherfolks, rural women, workers from the formal and informal sectors, non-government organizations and social movements in the Philippines calling for the rejection of the WTO Framework
9 August 2004
The proponents of trade liberalization have hailed the framework agreement that emerged from the General Council Meeting of the World Trade Organization in Geneva on 1 August 2004 as an important step towards jump starting stalled multilateral trade talks and the completion at the soonest possible time of the “Doha Round.”
United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick has called the framework a road map to prosperity and the Philippines has joined the celebratory chorus. Trade Secretary Cesar Purisima expressed elation over the framework, saying that many of the positions advanced by the Philippines in the negotiations were reflected in the framework agreement. A close reading of the text however shows that the outcome in Geneva is definitely no cause for celebration especially for a developing country like the Philippines. The WTO framework is flawed. It will not address but instead further aggravate the imbalance in world trade in favor of the rich countries. It is a road map not to prosperity but catastrophe for developing countries like the Philippines.
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Focus on the Philippines: Number 32 |
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Tungo sa isang Maka-Pilipinong Patakarang Panlabas
Ni Roland Simbulan
In this issue:
President Arroyo in her State of the Nation Address last 26 July 2004 alluded to the formulation of a “Filipino First” foreign policy in response to the Angelo dela Cruz crisis. In this issue we feature Professor Roland Simbulan’s contribution to this discussion. According to Professor Simbulan,“Hindi na kailangan pang baguhin o magkaroon ng alternatibong patakarang panlabas ang Pilipinas sapagkat ang pinakapundamental na prinsipyo at patakaran ng estado para sa ating patakarang panlabas ay nakaukit na sa 1986 Philippine Constitution” (We do not need to change or come up with an alternative foreign policy because the most fundamental principles and policy of the state for our foreign policy is already engraved in the 1986 Constitution). “Ang problema ay ang kawalang implementasyon , pagsuway at paglabag ng kilos at gawa ng pamahalaan sa mga prinsipyo at opisyal na itinakda nang patakarang ito”. (The problem lies in the lack of implementation. Government’s actions betray the principles enshrined in this policy.) “Kung seryosong gagamitin sana bilang patnubay ng ating mga lider ang Saligang Batas, ang Pilipinas ay rerespetuhin ng ibang bansa sa kanyang pagpapakita ng patakarang panlabas na para sa kapayapaan at para rin sa interes ng nakararaming Pilipino (If only our leaders seriously seek guidance from our Constitution then the Philippines will be respected by other countries for adopting a foreign policy that promotes peace and one that advances the interest of the Filipino majority)
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Focus on the Philippines: Number 31 |
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The 'Bad Guys' in Iraq
By Herbert Docena
IN HER COLUMN IN ANOTHER PAPER YESTERDAY, Solita Monsod continued to insist that the Philippine government should have allowed Angelo dela Cruz to be beheaded because we should not give in to the “terrorists.” She cites the recent kidnapping of Kenyan, Indian, and Egyptian workers in Iraq as proof that wasn’t the government’s support for Iraq’s invasion that caused dela Cruz to be abducted. She also dismisses calls for the Philippine government to withdraw its support from the occupation of Iraq because she earnestly believes that the occupation has ended because the United Nations says so. In all this, Monsod laments that “we seem to be forgetting…who the ‘bad guys’ are.” |
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Focus on the Philippines: Number 30 |
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Withdrawal from Iraq just the first step By WALDEN BELLO http://bworld.com.ph/current/TopStories/topstory8.html This writer is often a shade cynical when discussions drift to the President, who has been one of the most calculating political animals ever to stride the Philippine scene. But to be fair, the decision she made to save Angelo de la Cruz was not based mainly on political calculation. It came from simple humanity: like most of her countrymen and women, President Arroyo simply could not allow a fellow Filipino to die owing to a commitment to an abstract principle like "not giving in to terrorists." |
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Focus on the Philippines: Number 29 |
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Big Pharma: Part of the Problem of part of the solution? By Walden Bello In this issue: We feature the speech delivered by Professor Walden Bello last July 14, 2003 as part of the debate on patents, drug development and HIV/Aids at theXV International Aids Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Read full article >> |
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