PRESS RELEASE
21 September 2006
Ref: Jeck - 09173200007
JPEPA WILL JUST BRING IN RECYCLABLES?
That was the reaction of Rep. Lorenzo R. Tañada III (Liberal Party, 4th District, Quezon) when DTI Undersecretary, Thomas Aquino asserted that there is “no toxic waste with JPEPA signing” and that what one may consider as waste may in fact be recyclable.
JPEPA
is short for the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement which would
take into effect next year. Tañada, along with Cong. Mario Aguja of the
Partylist Akbayan, filed House Resolution 551 which sought to bring to the
public the provisions of the Agreement which people need to understand,
as well as other bilateral trade and investment treaties that we have entered
into. Unfortunately, despite four hearings in Congress, no details
of the agreement was provided until it was signed in
Some environmental groups already raised caution of the possibility of the entry of hazardous wastes via the agreement but the government went ahead with the signing anyway.
“A
quick look of the listing of products we can allow entry from
Below is the list of what can be called waste products which will be allowed zero tariff when brought into the country with JPEPA:
|
Tariff Heading No. |
Description |
MFN rate (Tariff & Customs Code) |
JPEPA tariff rate |
|
2620.6000 |
Ash and residues (other than from the manufacture of iron or steel), containing arsenic, mercury, thallium or their mixtures, of a kind used for the extraction of arsenic or those metals or for the manufacture of their chemical compounds |
3% |
0% |
|
2621.1000 |
Ash and residues from the incineration of municipal waste |
3% |
0% |
|
3006.80 (3006.8010, 3006.8090) |
Waste pharmaceuticals |
20% |
0% |
|
38.25 (and its subheadings) |
Residual products of the chemical or allied industries, not elsewhere specified or included; municipal waste; sewage sludge; other wastes specified in Note 6 to this Chapter |
30% |
0%
|
|
3825.1000 |
Municipal waste |
30% |
0% |
|
3825.2000 |
Sewage sludge |
30% |
0% |
|
3825.3010 |
Clinical waste – adhesive dressings and other articles having adhesive layer; wadding gauze bandages, surgical gloves |
30% |
0% |
|
3825.3090 |
Other clinical waste |
30% |
0% |
|
3825.4100, 3825.4900 |
Waste organic solvents – halogenated, and other |
30% |
0% |
|
3825.6100, 2825.6900 |
Other wastes from other chemical or allied industries - containing organic constituents, other |
30% |
0% |
|
3825.5000 |
Wastes of metal pickling liquors, hydraulic fluids, brake fluids and anti-freeze fluids |
30% |
0% |
|
6309.00 |
Worn clothing and other worn articles |
Prohibited under RA 4653 |
0% |
|
63.10 |
Used or new rags, scrap twine, cordage, rope and cables and worn out articles of twine, cordage, rope or cables, of textile materials |
|
0%
|
The