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Ni Estong Reyes
HINDI nababahala sina Senador Grace Poe and Sherwin Gatchalian sa pagbasura ng Marcos administration sa official development assistance ng China sa pangunahing infrastructure program ng pamahalaan partikular ang railways projects.
Sa magkakahiwalay na pahayag, sinabin nina Poe at Gatchalian na dapat ituloy ng administrasyon ang “Build Better More” infrastructure program nang wala ang official development assistance (ODA) mulang China.
Inihayag ito ng dalawang mambabatas matapos lumiham ang Department of Finance kay Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian, na nagsasabing binabawi ng Philippine government ang kahilingan nito sa ODA na umabot sa P83-billion para sa Mindanao Railway Project Phase 1.
“The withdrawal of the official development assistance from China for a railway project should not derail the implementation of our infrastructure programs,” ayon kay Poe.
Ipinunto ni Poe na ilang taon ang nakalipas, palaging ibinibitin ng Chinese banks ang Pilipinas na tila na nasa “suspended animation” sa pagkakantala ng loan applications, kaya’t hindi matuloy ang ilang government projects.
“While appearing attractive, the loans are not exactly that benevolent as they come with hefty interest rates and other strings that could be detrimental to the country in the long term,” ayon kay Poe.
Aniya, panahon na upang humanap ang pamahalaan ng ODA sa ibang bansa at kumuha ng kinakailangang funding option mula sa multilateral institutions at international assistance agencies “na maghahatid ng prodkto.”
“A strategic move would also be to tap the private sector, which holds the potential of accelerating infrastructure development and bringing innovative and efficient services,” ayon kay Poe.
Binanggit din ni Gatchalian ang isyu ng feasibility at financing charges na ipinapataw ng China sa ODA na hamak na mas malaki sa ibang bansa na nagbibigay ng ODA sa Pilipinas.
“So, the bottom line here, it’s going to be much more costly to us compared to other ODAs. So, in other words, the feasibility of these projects will also be affected, and we’ll be paying for this. We have to remember ODAs are still considered loans even though they are concessionary in nature, but they’re still considered loans and the taxpayers will pay for it,” ani Gatchalian sa interview.
Bukod sa Mindanao Railway Project Phase 1, naghahanap na rin ng pondo ang pamahalaan sa Philippine National Railways South Long-Haul Project na dating popondohan sana ng China.
