(CHRISTIAN DALE)

BINUKSAN ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ang iba pang posibilidad upang mapondohan ang tatlong malalaking railway project na naudlot sa pag-atras ng China.

Kamakalawa, inatasan ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. ang Department of Transportation (DOTr) na bumalik sa negotiating table upang tiyakin ang loan agreements kasama ang China.

“The President was referring to the Subic-Clark Railway Project; the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Long-Haul Project and the Davao-Digos segment of the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP),” ayon kay DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Cesar Chavez.

Ani Chavez, ang tatlong railway projects ay popondohan sana sa ilalim ng official development assistance (ODA) ng China sa pamamagitan ng loan agreements.

“There was a policy discussion on three China ODA Rail Projects in last Tuesday’s Cabinet Meeting during which the President commented that as a matter of policy, we should encourage more investments in rail and that we should focus more on rail transport,” ayon kay Chavez.

Ipinaliwanag naman ni Chavez ang kalagayan ng bawat isa sa tatlong big ticket railway projects.

Noong nakaraang Enero, ang kontrata para sa P142-billion PNR South Long-Haul Project — tinawag din na PNR Bicol Express — ay in-award sa joint venture ng China Railway Group Ltd., China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group Co. Ltd., at China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co. Ltd.

Ang P83-billion Tagum-Davao-Digos segment ng MRP, sa kabilang dako, nabigong magpatuloy matapos na hindi nagawa ng China na makapagsumite ng shortlist ng mga contractors para sa design-build contract nito.

Samantala, ang kontrata para sa pagpapatayo ng P51-billion Subic-Clark Railway Project ay in-award sa China Harbour Engineering Co. noong Disyembre 2020.

Ani Chavez, ang loan agreements para sa tatlong railway projects ay kinokonsidera ngayong “withdrawn” matapos mabigo ang Chinese government na aksyunan ang funding requests ng nakalipas na Duterte administration.

“Negotiations for the three projects began in 2018 and have been approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to receive official development assistance (ODA) loan from China,” ayon kay Chavez.

“From 2021 to 2022, the Department of Finance (DOF) informed China Eximbank that the submitted loan applications would only be valid until May 31, 2022, and would be automatically withdrawn if not then approved. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III later decided to cancel the loan applications with China in the light of the upcoming transition of government and in deference to the incoming administration,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Aniya, ang iba pang funding options ay kinokonsidera rin gaya ng posibilidad na buksan ito sa private sector lalo pa’t ang government thrust ay tungo sa public-private-partnerships (PPP).

Sa kabila nito, nagbigay ng pahayag si Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin na magpapatuloy ang pagtutulungan ng Pilipinas at China sa ilalim ng Marcos administration.

Sesentro ang kooperasyon ng dalawang bansa sa agrikultura, imprastraktura, enerhiya at cultural exchanges.

Sinabi ni Wang, kapwa nangako ang dalawang bansa sa opisyal na pagbisita ni Foreign Minister Wang Yi sa Pilipinas noong nakaraang linggo.

“The two sides agreed to conduct cooperation in the four key areas of large-scale agriculture, infrastructure, energy, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges to enhance friendship and cooperation,” ayon kay Wang sabay sabing “The Chinese side will support the Philippines in its efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency and agricultural modernization, strengthen conventional and hi-tech infrastructure, and improve its energy structure, so as to generate more tangible benefits to the Philippine people and also the Chinese people.”

Samantala, noong July 5-6 trip ni Wang sa Pilipinas, nag-courtesy call siya kina Pangulong Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos, at iba pang matataas na opisyal ng bansa.

Tablahin na

Taliwas naman ang posisyon ng isang mambabatas sa pag-atras ng China na pondohan ang tatlong malalaking proyekto sa Pilipinas.

Para kay Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, hindi na dapat ituloy ng negosasyon sa China dahil may iba pang grupo na pwedeng magpondo sa mga ito.

“The old saying ‘beggars cannot be choosers’ cannot apply to us in this case and other projects. We have other funding options, which the new national leadership should explore,” pahayag ni Rodriguez.

Nabuo ang plano para sa tatlong railway project noong administrasyon ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.

“The problem with loans from China is that there will be strings attached which will sacrifice our full sovereign rights over our West Philippine Sea,” paliwanag ng mambabatas kaya huwag na aniyang ituloy ang renegosasyon kung nais ng gobyerno na matuloy ang mga proyekto.

Sa halip, iminungkahi ng mambabatas na pwedeng lapitan ang World Bank and Asian Development Bank at mga international assistance agencies tulad ng USAID, JICA ng Japan, Korean agency at EU Fund.

Kaya rin aniyang pondohan ang mga ito ng mga local banking at business community o kaya mula sa national budget lalo na ang Mindanao railway dahil P83 billion lamang ito na maliit na sa mahigit P5 Trilyong pondo ng gobyerno.

“We can request RSA (Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corp.), MVP (Manny Pangilinan of PLDT group), Enrique Razon (ICTSI) and Sabin Aboitiz (Aboitiz Group) to consider financing the Mindanao railway,” dagdag pa ng mambabatas. (May dagdag na ulat si BERNARD TAGUINOD)