Bee a eee Major Issues in JPEPA Involving the Fisheries Sector By Kilusang Mangingisda-Pilipinas Trade in Goods Marine products (shrimps at prawns) accounted for three percent. Tuna exports to Japan have been dwindling in recent years. Japan is the single biggest buyer of Philippine shrimps and prawns (71 percent). The Japanese side referred to the difficulty of tariff elimination in the agriculture and fishery sectors in the light of multi-functionality of these sectors. Japan's fishery sector representative even requested to exempt certain fishery products from tariff elimination such as sardines, mackerel, anchovies, cuttlefish and seaweed. Agricultural and fishery export expansion depends less on tariff levels but on non-tariff barriers such as strict sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards (SPS). In the case of the tuna industry, it should be ready to face the issue of SPS measures. The study also encouraged the government to strengthen its participation in international standard-setting organizations to ensure that fish products for export are not required to conform to standards higher than those warranted by scientific evidence. Overfishing JPEPA through Articles 28 and 29 of Chapter 3 allows unhampered access of Japanese commercial fishing industry to Philippine EEZs For the fisheries sector, there is a clear indication that our open-access fishing grounds have now been fished to their maximum level and can no longer produce more despite the growing number of fishers and a corresponding escalation of fishing effort over the past decades. This only means that most of our waters are overfished and that JPEPA just like other open access fisheries partnership agreements will exploit further our already depleted marine sources. Even without JPEPA, municipal catch is already very low which further reduce local fishers' already meager income. Moreover, it is the fisheries sector and the artisanal fisherfolk ‘who shall bear the burden of depleted resources and degraded environment if the dumping of toxic and hazardous wastes will be undertaken via the JPEPA. Hunting and Trade in Endangered Species Kilusang Mangingisda-Pilipinas further asserts that there are fears that the hunting and trade of these endangered species such as whales and dolphins will not only be legalized under JPEPA, but will further lead to a sharp increase in these activities. In recent years, there are a number of initiatives launched by environmental and fisherfolk organizations at the community level to convert these former “hunters” of endangered species either as tourist guides or practitioners of community-based eco-tourism projects such as the whale watching project in Pamilacan Island in Bohol. Kilusang Mangingisda-Pilipinas therefore asserts that since the development framework (at least for the Philippine government) used in entering into JPEPA is not clear, different issues involving sectors such as agriculture and fisheries, labor, migrant workers and the environment must first be clarified and exhausted before any provision in JPEPA will be finalized. In any agreement, what is of utmost importance is that both parties shall equally receive the benefits of their partnership and no single party shall take advantage of another party. Secondly, major issues such as food sovereignty, environmental conservation and protection of the sovereign rights of the people are more important than any small or big gain(s) from partnership agreements such as the JPEPA. EEE OL