PHILIPPINES TO NO LONGER LOOK TO CHINA FOR FUNDING 3 RLY PROJECTS

The three rail projects were among the outcomes of Duterte’s Build, Build, Build” infrastructure development initiative, which mostly depended on utilising China’s Belt and Road Initiative’s BRI) then-seemingly limitless financial resources, Strangio opines

In a significant turn of events, the Philippines has decided to no longer rely on China for financial assistance in funding three crucial railway projects, which were previously mediated by President Rodrigo Duterte. This surprising shift in policy, as reported by The Diplomat, was announced by the Philippine Transportation Secretary, Jaime Bautista, during a forum attended by German and Philippine businesspeople in Manila. Bautista disclosed that China’s interest in these projects had waned, leading to this decision.

Remarkably, this decision wasn’t directly influenced by the recent escalation of hostilities between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Tensions had peaked, culminating in collisions between Chinese and Philippine ships as they attempted to resupply troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

The Diplomat’s Southeast Asia editor, Sebastian Strangio, provided detailed insights into the nature of these railway projects. The first project was a massive 142 billion peso (USD 2.5 billion) endeavor, involving a 380-kilometer railway extending from Calamba, a city just south of Manila, to Bicol province in the southern part of Luzon. The second project was an 83 billion peso (USD 1.45 billion) 100-kilometer commuter rail line located in Mindanao, in the southern Philippines.