Manila  - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called on the Senate on Monday to ratify a new trade deal with Japan despite criticisms that the agreement is disadvantageous to the country.

Arroyo said the benefits for the country from the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) far outweigh the alleged disadvantages of the deal.

"The JPEPA is worth it," she said. "We cannot afford not to ratify it because with everyone else but us on board, the Japanese will bring their business to them."

Arroyo said Japan has already signed similar agreements with Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei.

"Here we are at a starting point with everybody moving in front of us," she said.

Arroyo and former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi signed the JPEPA in 2006, but the deal cannot take effect until the Senate ratifies the agreement.

The Senate has not yet approved the deal due to various objections from non-government organizations and activists, who warned that the Philippines can become a dumping ground for Japan's toxic wastes.

Nationalists also questioned certain provisions related to labour and trade, which they alleged would leave the Philippines at the losing end.

Arroyo cited studies showing that the agreement will generate at least 200,000 jobs and 365 billion pesos (8.79 billion dollars) in direct investments.

She also allayed concerns that the country will become a dumping ground for Japan's toxic waste, saying that would be prohibited by international and domestic laws.

Arroyo added that Japan has signed a side agreement assuring that it will not export toxic wastes to the Philippines. (pdpa)