TPP: What's In It for Us? By Erick San Juan
The Philippines is definitely joining the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) bloc once presented the opportunity, Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo announced at an investment forum.
"The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – a global corporate noose around U.S. local, state, and national sovereignty – narrowly passed a major procedural hurdle in the Congress by gaining “fast track” status. This term “fast track” is a euphemism for your members of Congress – senators and representatives – handcuffing themselves, so as to prevent any amendments or adequate debate before the final vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership – another euphemism that is used to avoid the word “treaty,” which would require ratification by two-thirds of the Senate."
"Make no mistake. If this was only a trade treaty – reducing tariffs, quotas, and the like – it would not be so controversial. Yet, the corporate-indentured politicians keep calling this gigantic treaty with thirty chapters, of which only five relate to traditional trade issues, a trade agreement instead of a treaty. The other twenty-four chapters, if passed as they are, will have serious impacts on your livelihoods as workers and consumers, as well as your air, water, food, and medicines." (King Obama, His Royal Court, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by Ralph Nader, 6/26/2015)
The United States is economically ailing, and the TPP – Wall Street’s wet dream and Washington’s answer to its own dwindling economic performance – is designed to allow US big business a greater stake in the emerging Pacific region by imposing an exploitative economic model on signatory nations that exempt multinationals and private investors from any form of public accountability. The TPP’s origins go back to the second Bush administration, and it still remains in the negotiating phases under Obama’s second administration. The overwhelming lack of transparency surrounding the talks lends credence to what is known already – that the contents of this trade agreement serve the interests of those on the top of the economic food chain while the rest of us stagnate on the menu. (Source: Nile Bowie)
Sections of the TPP published by Wikileaks have revealed the treaty’s vast influence over multiple areas including individual rights, internet freedom and even the rule of law itself. Unelected corporate boards and the President can now wield unprecedented control over almost every aspect of human activity.
“If you read, write, publish, think, listen, dance, sing or invent; if you farm or consume food; if you’re ill now or might one day be ill, the TPP has you in its crosshairs,” Wikileaks’ Julian Assange wrote.
Secret TPP chapters regarding immigration also grant President Obama an even greater ability to erode the country’s Southern border.
The TPP, which covers 12 countries and more than 40% of the world’s economy, will place North America under the same global government structure as the European Union, where laws are increasingly crafted outside of public influence. (Source: http://www.redflagnews.com/headlines-2015/tpp-passes-obama-now-a-dictator)
The present administration should be very careful before committing our country (again) to another ‘agreement/partnership’ with Uncle Sam given the reality that American patriots themselves are against the TPP. I myself will go for it if the deal is fair and square. And why the sudden rush to join the said partnership? Are we being pressured to join?
Remember VFA (Visiting Forces Agreement) and EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement)? The play of words here – instead of using the word treaty, they use ‘agreement’ in order to avoid the scrutiny of our Congress, both Senate and House of Representatives in ratifying the said document. Although VFA did passed the Congress but the US counterpart treated it as an executive agreement.
Same is true with this TPP, posed as a partnership and not as a treaty, if ever our country will enter into such agreement, it should be cleared as to what kind of ‘partnership’ this administration is dragging the whole country into. We had our share of stupid legislators and politicians’ (pulpolitiko) decisions of putting the Filipinos in a very dangerous situation by turning the whole archipelago into a giant magnet attracting Uncle Sam’s enemies via the VFA and EDCA. We should have learned our lessons by now.
And the so many attempts of changing the so-called economic provisions in our Constitution by another bunch of pulpolitiko, don’t be too greedy because this nation’s history will never forgive thick-faced and greedy ‘public servants’.
The Philippines is definitely joining the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) bloc once presented the opportunity, Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo announced at an investment forum.
"The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – a global corporate noose around U.S. local, state, and national sovereignty – narrowly passed a major procedural hurdle in the Congress by gaining “fast track” status. This term “fast track” is a euphemism for your members of Congress – senators and representatives – handcuffing themselves, so as to prevent any amendments or adequate debate before the final vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership – another euphemism that is used to avoid the word “treaty,” which would require ratification by two-thirds of the Senate."
"Make no mistake. If this was only a trade treaty – reducing tariffs, quotas, and the like – it would not be so controversial. Yet, the corporate-indentured politicians keep calling this gigantic treaty with thirty chapters, of which only five relate to traditional trade issues, a trade agreement instead of a treaty. The other twenty-four chapters, if passed as they are, will have serious impacts on your livelihoods as workers and consumers, as well as your air, water, food, and medicines." (King Obama, His Royal Court, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by Ralph Nader, 6/26/2015)
The United States is economically ailing, and the TPP – Wall Street’s wet dream and Washington’s answer to its own dwindling economic performance – is designed to allow US big business a greater stake in the emerging Pacific region by imposing an exploitative economic model on signatory nations that exempt multinationals and private investors from any form of public accountability. The TPP’s origins go back to the second Bush administration, and it still remains in the negotiating phases under Obama’s second administration. The overwhelming lack of transparency surrounding the talks lends credence to what is known already – that the contents of this trade agreement serve the interests of those on the top of the economic food chain while the rest of us stagnate on the menu. (Source: Nile Bowie)
Sections of the TPP published by Wikileaks have revealed the treaty’s vast influence over multiple areas including individual rights, internet freedom and even the rule of law itself. Unelected corporate boards and the President can now wield unprecedented control over almost every aspect of human activity.
“If you read, write, publish, think, listen, dance, sing or invent; if you farm or consume food; if you’re ill now or might one day be ill, the TPP has you in its crosshairs,” Wikileaks’ Julian Assange wrote.
Secret TPP chapters regarding immigration also grant President Obama an even greater ability to erode the country’s Southern border.
The TPP, which covers 12 countries and more than 40% of the world’s economy, will place North America under the same global government structure as the European Union, where laws are increasingly crafted outside of public influence. (Source: http://www.redflagnews.com/headlines-2015/tpp-passes-obama-now-a-dictator)
The present administration should be very careful before committing our country (again) to another ‘agreement/partnership’ with Uncle Sam given the reality that American patriots themselves are against the TPP. I myself will go for it if the deal is fair and square. And why the sudden rush to join the said partnership? Are we being pressured to join?
Remember VFA (Visiting Forces Agreement) and EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement)? The play of words here – instead of using the word treaty, they use ‘agreement’ in order to avoid the scrutiny of our Congress, both Senate and House of Representatives in ratifying the said document. Although VFA did passed the Congress but the US counterpart treated it as an executive agreement.
Same is true with this TPP, posed as a partnership and not as a treaty, if ever our country will enter into such agreement, it should be cleared as to what kind of ‘partnership’ this administration is dragging the whole country into. We had our share of stupid legislators and politicians’ (pulpolitiko) decisions of putting the Filipinos in a very dangerous situation by turning the whole archipelago into a giant magnet attracting Uncle Sam’s enemies via the VFA and EDCA. We should have learned our lessons by now.
And the so many attempts of changing the so-called economic provisions in our Constitution by another bunch of pulpolitiko, don’t be too greedy because this nation’s history will never forgive thick-faced and greedy ‘public servants’.
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