Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Philippines should stop granting Chinese contractors big-ticket public infrastructure projects and should sell its products only to friendly nations.
The Philippines should give the contracts and sell its products to friendly countries “who are not rivals for our assets in the West Philippine Sea, and not to aggressive neighbors and bullies.” Zubiri said at a press conference in Bacolod City on Saturday, August 12.
The Chinese contractors are state owned so whatever they earn goes to the coffers of the Chinese government, which in turn uses it to fund its incursions in the West Philippine Sea, Zubiri said.
Filipino taxpayers are unwittingly funding China’s illegal incursions and harassment of Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea with the Philippine government’s continued patronage of Chinese contractors in big-ticket public infrastructure projects all over the country, he said.
“We are cooking ourselves in our own fat,” he said.
The big ticket public infrastructure projects should instead be given to friendly nations like South Korea and Japan who provide the Philippines with a lot of aid, Zubiri said.
He also said the Philippines should also sell its products to friendly countries in the European Union and the United States that are offering free trade agreements.
“We have to make sure with an aggressive China, we have alternative markers for our products,” he said.
“Let’s support our troops and coast guard, let’s show the world we can stand as one. We should stand together for our country’s sovereignty,” he said.*