Strict implementation of RCEP guidelines to protect agri sector

In a statement released Thursday, Legarda noted that the said guidelines were based on previous meetings and dialogues with the affected industries, specifically the agriculture sector. (File photo: Loren Legarda/Facebook)

MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda has called for the strict implementation of the guidelines included in the resolution concurring in the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to ensure that the issues and concerns of the agriculture sector are properly addressed once the treaty has been ratified.

In a statement released Thursday, Legarda noted that the said guidelines were based on previous meetings and dialogues with the affected industries, specifically the agriculture sector.

“My decision to lend support to the ratification of RCEP is premised on my conviction that an open, transparent, and predictable trade and investment environment generates new opportunities for everyone,” Legarda said.

Legarda pointed out that to boost the agriculture sector we have to tap the effective and meaningful support of the Departments of Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Science and Technology, Budget and Management, Agrarian Reform, and National Economic and Development Authority, as well as the Tariff Commission and the Intellectual Property Office.

She said that to optimize the benefits of global trading systems, there must be transparency among the cornerstones of transactions in government and with trading partners, as well as information sharing that would keep the various sectors informed of the many opportunities in the domestic, regional, and global marketplace.

“Matuto po tayong makipag-usap sa ating pinagsisilbihan. Buhayin ang mga (We have to learn to talk, to what we serve. We must revive the) Anti-smuggling Committee, Public-Private Agriculture Budget Monitoring Committee, at iba pang mga committees na magbibigay-daan sa isang tunay at patuloy na dayalogo at pakikipagtulungan sa hanay ng gobyerno at mga sektor ng produksyon (and other committees that will pave the way to a genuine and continuous dialogue and cooperation between the government and production sector),” Legarda said.

Legarda said we have to set targets and timeframes for our programs that are responsive to the needs of our farmers, small businesses, and other production sectors, adding that there is need to create comparative advantages for the country’s economic sectors as the trade in services is a growing key interest of the Philippines.

Lastly, she said governance must be strengthened and improved, thus, the creation of a Special Oversight Committee on RCEP implementation is included in the resolution to monitor that all concerned government agencies will provide the needed support to the farmers and other sectors, including the allotment of budget, echnical and financial support.

“We cannot stand in isolation as we face this huge wave of global and regional economic integration. We need to build capacities and efficiencies to achieve competitiveness,” Legarda said.