MANILA, June 10 (PNA) — A lady lawmaker insists on the creation of a Special Committee on ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) of the House of Representatives so that threats and opportunities are identified and effectively addressed policy-wise.
“There is an urgent need to create said special committee to address these concerns vital to the country, particularly on matters relating to cross-cutting Philippine policies and programs covering products and services to be affected by the establishment and existence of the AEC,” Rep. Juliette T. Uy (2nd District, Misamis Oriental), author of House Resolution No. 1153 stressed.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted the ASEAN Economic Blueprint at the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore on November 20, 2007 to serve as a coherent master plan for the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015, HR 1153 states.
The AEC shall be the goal of regional economic integration by 2015, which envisions “a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region fully integrated into a global community, the author explains, adding that the potential market when the AEC beings in 2015 is estimated to reach 600 million people.
The country, Rep. Uy recalls, is a founding member of the ASEAN and a signatory to the Bangkok Declaration on August 8, 1967 which gave birth to the regional platform. Inspired by the vision of an “economically integrated, politically cohesive and socially responsible ASEAN community” and “to ensure ASEAN’s place in the global community of nations by 2015 and beyond,” the year 2015 is said to be a banner year for economic integration of the Philippines along with Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The author noted that AEC areas of cooperation include human resource development and capacity building; recognition of professional qualifications; closer consultation on microeconomic and financial policies; trade financing measures enhanced infrastructure and communication connectivity.
Likewise included are development of electronic transactions through e-ASEAN; integrating industries across the region to promote regional sourcing, and enhancing private sector involvement for the building of the AEC , Uy added.
“In short, the AEC will give rise to the free movement of goods, services, investments, skilled labour, and freer flow of capital in the region,” the author said, but pointed out that “in any effort at regional integration, the threats that accompany opportunities need to be identified and effectively addressed policy-wise.”
Uy said it is very vital to note that, the Philippines has had a dismal growth in agriculture in the last five years as follows: zero percent in 2009 to 2010, 2 percent (2011); 3 percent (2012); and zero percent (2013), which are way below the government target of 4 to 5 percent annual agriculture growth.
“When the Philippines joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), Filipino farmers were told that this would improve, rather than harm, their plight. However, since the competitiveness enhancement measures promised by the previous governments were not delivered, the WTO caused more harm than good to our farmers,” Uy pointed out.
The lawmaker further said that the Philippine should address the fact that our products and services would face heavy competition from ASEAN imports.
She stressed that while “we can have free movement in promoting trade based on comparative advantage, we should provide protection for our products and services from various imports that are subsidized in other ASEAN member-states.”
The proposed Special Committee on AEC shall:
1) review and recommend revisions to the existing policies and programs or special projects that are essential to the advancement of national interests and to satisfy international commitments relative to the AEC framework;
2) enlist specialists and representatives of the academe, private sector, non-government organizations and such other government offices or agencies as may be necessary, to assist in policy and decision-making;
3) Fast-track the creation of laws and policies that would immediately shift our policies in the ASEAN to the “three Cs” – Complementation, Collaboration, and Cooperation, rather than the “big C” of unbridled Competition;
4) develop a national mechanism to increase awareness on ASEAN integration and propose policies to encourage citizens and communities to promote actions at the grassroots level;
5) Harmonize existing laws of the country’s commitment to the AEC; and 6) develop and strengthen the Philippines-ASEAN roadmaps on Agriculture and Fisheries, Industry, Energy and Human Resources Development. (PNA)