Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12) — Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri is calling to exclude Chinese contractors in infrastructure projects, which is part of his suggestions to protest against Beijing following the latest incident of harassment in the West Philippine Sea.
Zubiri said many public infrastructure projects managed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr), which supervises the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), utilize Chinese state-owned companies.
China Coast Guard on Aug. 5 blocked and fired water cannons at PCG vessels that were escorting indigenous boats chartered by the country’s armed forces in a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal.
“Eh ‘di bumawi na lang tayo. I-blacklist natin ‘yong mga kumpanyang ‘yon,” Zubiri said in a radio interview on Thursday night. “Bakit naman iyung mga buwis pa ng mga kababayan nating Pilipino ang gagamitin para ipambayad dito sa mga state-owned companies?”
“Tapos ‘yong income po niyan, babalik po sa Tsina, gagamitin ng Tsina pambayad doon sa kanilang navy at coast guard na nangha-harass po sa atin dito,” he added. “Hindi po tama ‘yon.”
[Translation: Let’s get back at them by blacklisting those companies. Why should Filipino taxpayers fund their projects? Then the income will return to China to pay their navy and coast guard personnel that are harassing us. That’s not right.]
Zubiri also said he had a one-on-one meeting with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista at the Senate regarding the incident.
“Ang sabi ko, ‘Secretary, nakikita niyo naman kung ano ang ginagawa nila sa Coast Guard ninyo?’ he recalled. “Sabi ko, ‘pag ganoon, huwag na natin bigyan ng project ang Chinese state-owned companies dito sa Pilipinas.”
[Translation: I told him, “Secretary, you have seen what they have done to the Coast Guard, right?” I said, let’s stop giving projects to Chinese state-owned companies.]
Zubiri urged Bautista not to award the North-South Commuter Railway project to China but to South Korea or Japan instead.
The senator previously made the same call to the DPWH, asking to award big-ticket projects such as the 32-kilometer Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge to “friendlier countries.”
“Natuwa po ako at ang sabi po ni Sec. Bautista, hindi na po sila gagamit ng Chinese state-owned companies para sa kanilang trains, airports at malalaking big-ticket items,” Zubiri said.
[Translation: I was glad that Sec. Bautista said they will not tap Chinese state-owned companies for their trains, airports, and other big-ticket items.]
CNN Philippines has sought comment and confirmation from the DOTr regarding this matter but it has yet to respond as of publishing.
In a privilege speech on Aug. 8, Zubiri said the Philippines could learn from Vietnam in replacing China as its top trading partner and instead make trade deals with other countries or enhance existing ones.
READ: Senators push for executive session amid water cannon incident
He also suggested boycotting Chinese products and companies amid the bullying of Beijing in the contested waters.
