Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 27) — The Philippines is looking for other partner-investors to fund big-ticket transport infrastructure projects after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) dropped China as its partner for three main projects, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.
In a statement released Thursday, Bautista said the South Long Haul Project, Mindanao Railway Project, and Subic-Clark Railway were dropped as Chinese official development assistance (ODA) interest has “waned.
“‘Yun ang hahanapan namin ng additional funding or replacement (We are looking for additional funding or replacement for those),” Bautista said.
We will look for another funding source. We are working on that now,” he added, mentioning that the DOTr has requested assistance from the Department of Finance (DOF).Bautista, however, said he is “not saddened” at losing China as a partner for the big projects, citing other funding assistance sources.
“Ang options natin (Our other options), we can still go to other official ODA. Nandiyan pa rin ang JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), nandiyan ang ADB (Asian Development Bank), nandiyan ang World Bank (JICA, ADB, and World Bank are still there),” he explained.
There are other governments talking to us with the possibility of supporting the financing of these projects,” he added.Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, said the country’s withdrawal of its request for ODA from China should not derail the implementation of infrastructure programs.It’s time to explore ODAs from other countries and seek available funding options from multilateral institutions and international assistance agencies that can deliver the goods,” Poe said.The senator further said Chinese banks have kept projects in “suspended animation” with delays in loan applications for a number of government projects.Poe said this after the DOF informed Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian that the country’s request for ODA from Beijing for the ₱83-billion Mindanao Railway Phase 1 Tagum-Davao-Digos segment was pulled out.
