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
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April 24th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Now we‘re talking trash. But look who’s talking? We are talking not foul language but real trash, rubbish, garbage.
When our neighbor throws trash or about to throw in our backyard, we got mad, we got angry. But look at our backyard; it is not only garbage but mountain of trash that’s why it is called mountain, smoke of mountain trash. Anyway, as they say, there is cash in trash. And it helped Fidel to be president.
We complain that our neighbor Japan will dump their waste on us, we cry foul.
But Japan is a modern, high tech, hygienic country to be called garbage thrower.
Unlike us where people and trash co exists, where people, river and sea are living together as one. Where thousands squat on river banks and sea shore that makes water filthy?
I think Japan would give us the best health and sanitation advice when it comes to trash. So let’s not crush whatever trash agreement we have with Japan.
Now we talk of fish. Not the fish of Cory which is galunggong, her campaign cry all the way to Malacanang; not the poor galunggong. No class, as they say fish for the poor. But the fish which the Japanese will catch in PhilJap agreement to fish in our waters.
How could there be over fishing by Japanese, where we have already depleted our fish by barangay, a long fishnet with mosquito net like hole, where even a dilis or bunggan has no chance to escape; where dynamite killed our papakol, samaral and even tulingan. How could there be over fishing by the Japanese where there is no more fish to catch except asuhos and mamaltak.
The point is… let’s first clean our backyard. As they say, the fish is caught in the mouth.
I don’t talk trash. But I go to Mcdo to eat junk food as they say.
See junk is good but to junk JPEPA is no good.