Senator Christoper “Bong” Go on Wednesday, February 22, urged Malacañang to guarantee the safeguards to protect local farmers and industries from any potential adverse impacts of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.

Go made the call following the Senate’s concurrence on the ratification of the RCEP on Tuesday, February 21. The senator voted in favor of the RCEP.

“We take the word of the Executive Department that no farmer or ordinary Filipino will be deprived of the development that this agreement promises,” Go said in a statement.

“I give my conditional support, and will hold you to your commitment na hindi mapapabayaan ang mahihirap at pinaka-nangangailangan (that the poor and those who are in need would not be neglected),” he further said.

Go said it is important to provide more support to local farmers and industries to ensure their competitiveness now and in the long term.

Likewise, he said the government must prioritize the strengthening of the agricultural sector and the provision of interventions that have been promised.

He also cited the need to raise the budget for agriculture and to make local farmers resilient and competitive enough to benefit from the opportunities presented by the RCEP.

“We understand the concern and fear of the agricultural sector because for many years agriculture has been really neglected. Let's not neglect them. All the interventions promised should be implemented. The budget for agriculture should really be increased," he reiterated.

"Let's strengthen the agricultural sector and let us make our farmers resilient and competitive enough. Let us first safeguard and capacitate them," added Go.

The RCEP is considered the biggest free trade agreement, covering about 30 percent of the global economy, that was formally signed by 15 Asia-Pacific countries on November 15, 2020.

Among the signatories include the ten member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - as well as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

The RCEP agreement covers a wide range of areas, including trade in goods and services, investment, intellectual property, e-commerce, and more.

RCEP aims to reduce trade barriers and promote economic integration among the signatory countries, which could potentially lead to increased trade and investment flows, as well as more job opportunities and economic growth.

Go said there is a need to strike a balance between opening up industries to the demands of the regional economy and protecting local industries.

“The guidelines and policies we included in our resolution have to be implemented to ensure that RCEP will be effective for us,” Go said.