By Lester Cavestany, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

FILIPINO patriots went for a swim Monday morning, the 21st of April, to cool down and relax in the crystal clear waters of Manila Bay. Well, not exactly! They dived into the swim-at-your-own-risk waters of Manila Bay to protest against the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA). Pro-JPEPA senators will be feeling the heat from Filipinos who believe that the government has once again outdone itself when it comes to pimping our motherland to other countries.

According to the swimmers who braved the waters of Manila Bay, the treaty will allow large and high-tech Japanese fishing vessels to sweep our waters and get all the fish they want. But the government says that we don’t have to worry about any shortage in fish supply. Keep in mind that this is the same government who’s also telling us not to worry about the shortage in rice supply. So I guess it’s okay for Japan to catch all the fish they want because our government says it’s alright.

Greenpeace has also protested against JPEPA saying that it will allow Japan to ship toxic waste to the Philippines. “It’s okay,” the Philippine government says, “we don’t have to revise the treaty because ‘notes’ have already been exchanged between Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo and Japan Foreign Minister Taro Aso.” They now have a “gentleman’s agreement” that toxic waste will not be dumped in our country. I would like to believe the foreign ministers and I am sure they are men of their words. But the thing is, I can’t forget what happened in August 1999 when toxic waste from Japan was found in 92 (yes, 92!) 40-foot container vans. They were marked as recyclables but they contained used diapers, used syringes, incinerator ash, radioactive waste, and other disgusting things we should never speak of again.

If you still insist that it’s okay to be the trash can of a rich country because they will help our economy by providing jobs and by allowing our exports to enter their country with no tax, then you may join the ranks of our Politicos In Mama Pilipina, PIMPs for short! Join them as they try to convince the nation that JPEPA is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Join them as they say: “Let’s take in all of Japan’s toxic waste and let’s give all our fish to Japan so that they will give us jobs and economic aid.”

O Inang Bayan, patawarin mo po kami.

Also posted in www.lestercavestany.com

ONE way [to ease the plight of overseas Filipino workers] is to investigate the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) regarding the anomalies unearthed by the Commission on Audit (COA).

Prosecute POEA and OWWA employees involved in the corruption unearthed by COA. Refund to OFWs or start a Foundation for OFW Benefits with whatever money that can be recovered. Make OWWA membership voluntary instead of compulsory.

– Elmer Fabros, Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia (via e-mail)

I don’t understand how Migrante’s John Monterona could express alarm over the continued recruitment of Filipinos in Iraq and maintain a stoic stance on the Philippine government’s inability to create jobs for the very same people they are “concerned” with.

How could he express fear for our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and let the government’s ineffectiveness to maintain support systems, especially for our OFWs working in places like Iraq, go unchecked ? How could he justify his concerns when the corrupt immigrations people at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport suck the blood out of the very same people trying to earn a decent living and not partake of the corruption that has plagued the government?

Has Migrante forgotten the cause of its very existence?

– Jun Bauzon Odono, Kabul, Afghanistan (via e-mail)

I THINK the government can and must do more to educate people on proper waste disposal and recycling.

Some places in the Philippines are observed to be a giant trash pit and because of individual habit and the “don’t care” attitude, more money is being used when calamities such as floods come. Furthermore, it’s a huge health issue which concerns everyone and costs the government millions.

Educate! Educate! Educate! Educate the masses. Provide social (barangay) seminars in all levels of society.

– Al Hinahon, Universal City, Texas (via e-mail)

QUESTION: How many Philippine senators does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: 24 plus their assistants.

I can only observe with distress why nothing ever gets resolved in this country. Malacañang says they will not attend Senate hearings unless the Senate publishes the rules.

How many debates will we have over radio and television? How many statements to the press will we hear? How many bombastic and self-righteous remarks are we away from resolving this?

Maybe I just have a simple mind, but if the rules are already there, then just publish it so we can get moving on these investigations. Isn’t that the simplest, most direct step to take? Can these supposedly learned and principled men for once just do things right?

Just publish the damn rules and get it over with! What is so difficult with that?

– Gus Cosio, Quezon City, Philippines (via e-mail)