(NI NOEL ABUEL)

IIMBESTIGAHAN ng Senado ang planong pag-develop ng Chinese investors sa tatlong malalaking isla dahil sa pangambang magdulot ito ng masamang implikasyon sa seguridad ng bansa.

Inihain ni Senador Risa Hontiveros ang Senate Resolution No. 74, na naglalayong siyasating ang  strategic security implications ng pag-develop ng mga dayuhang negosyante sa Fuga island na matatagpuan sa probinsya ng Cagayan at Grande at Chiquita Islands sa Subic, Zambales gayundin ang dating Island Cove Resort, sa Cavite na pawang nasa lokasyon na naaayon sa national security ng bansa.

“Are we witnessing a creeping annexation?” Amid China’s aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea, it is baffling that the Duterte government allowed this to happen. These are no ordinary islands. These parcels of land are strategic maritime fronts that play a significant role in our military history, which only proves how invaluable they are to our national security,” paliwanag ni Hontiveros.

Ayon pa sa senador, nais nitong malaman kung ano ang naging usapin sa 32-hectare Island Cove Resort property sa Kawit, Cavite, na nabili ng hindi nakilalang investor at ginawang Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) complex na may kasamang housing facilities sa tinatayang 20,000 foreign workers.

Giit ni Hontiveros, ang Island Cove ay nasa layong 3.5 kilometro mula sa Danilo Atienza Air Base, na tahanan ng Philippine Air Force’s 15th Strike Wing, at Naval Base Heracleo Alano, na naglalaman ng Naval Sea System Command ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at military shipyards.

“We look to the Senate to rise to the occasion and to seek the truth. We hope that the investigation is conducted through the lens of Filipino values that uphold our integrity, sovereignty and dignity,” ani Hontiveros.