WE have already mentioned above some of the celebrated projects of the $ 25-billion assistance package. However, the vastly greater but not-so-visible projects are varied and wide.
In the first phase of the assistance projects alone, up to 25 individual projects can already be listed, but there is a second package for the years ahead that continues into the new President Ferdinand R. Marcos’ administration.
The first phase of the $25-billion package ranges from the Saranggani Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation center to support President Duterte’s anti-drugs campaign to the P 45.1-billion ($800-million) Kaliwa Dam project that commenced construction in January 2022 and will serve up to 20-million Filipinos with 600million liters per day of potable water.
In between these two projects are a myriad of actualized, in progress and prospective medium and large projects in various sectors, including:
Transportation and communication: the Central Luzon Link Expressway Package 2, Phase 1 (CLLEX-2); the Cavite Gateway Terminal (CGT) Phase 1; the NCC to SCTEX Access Road Project;
The Dumaguete North Road, Manjuyod-La Libertad Road Section; the $2.8-billion Phase 1 565-km Bicol Rail (South Haul) Project that has already been awarded; and the $1.4-billion Phase 1 of the 2,000 km. Mindanao Circumferential Rail that is set to start in 2022.
Projects in water, irrigation and flood mitigation include: the $500-million Metro-Manila flood control project; construction and maintenance of the Flood Mitigation Structure and Design System along Mamburao River; the flood mitigation project covering the river basins of Abra as well as Agus (Ranao) and Apayao-Abulog in Luzon, the Tagum-Ligubanon and Malungon in Mindanao and Jalaur in Visayas; and the P4.3 billion (US$83.9 million) Chico River Pump Irrigation Project (CRPIP);
Energy and power projects are also in the mix: the Philippine GNPK 4X135MW coal-fired power plant project has the largest installed capacity on Mindanao Island; the $800-million Pulangi Hydropower project;
The China State Grid “Brighten Up” solar power project with the National Electrification Administration (NEA); the Wawa 500MW hydro power project on the Montalban River Basin in Calabarzon; and many others.
Also among the energy projects is the exploration and development joint venture between China and the Philippines in the Reed Bank oil-gas fields that is crucial for the energy self-sufficiency and independence of the Philippines.
This has a very advantageous 60/40 sharing in favor of the Philippines, which could be a significant paradigm shift in future considerations of other disputed areas between the two countries and ASEAN.
A major project in the telecommunications field is the Filipino joint venture with China Telecoms whose initial service was launched in March of 2021 and represents $5-billion in investment.
When fully operational, the project is committed to 51 percent nationwide coverage by the end of
2022, offering the fastest speed and the cheapest rate to the benefit of millions of poorly served netizens inso far as it promises to give the duopoly of two major traditional service providers genuine competition.
In industrial investments, significant projects include: the Batangas Kiln Upgrade Project to speed up the greening of the local cement industry.
‘New Hope,’ China’s largest feed manufacturer, has invested over RMB 200 million and hired over 700 local employees with feed production reaching 630,000 tons.
The $3.5-billion Panhua steel mill in Mindanao is now under construction. The annual China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) is also expected to bring in other investments regularly.
Trade has made China the Philippines’ top trading partner, boosted by the annual China International Import Expo (CIIE). Philippine pineapples account for over 70 percent of China’s pineapple market: export of Philippine pineapples to China increased by 229 percent from 2019 to 2021.
Likewise, Philippine coconuts to China now constitute 27 percent of market share, while Philippine bananas have a 47.1 percent share of China’s consumption. And finally, avocados have now been cleared to enter China as well.
In agriculture and fisheries, the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PhilSCAT) promises “prosperity though mechanized hybrid rice farming and biogas tech” by doubling rice yield in the country.
Meanwhile, fisheries cooperation shares know-how in fisheries and aquaculture through the China Ocean Development Foundation as well as hundreds-of-thousands of high value fish fries for breeding.
The list of beneficial cooperative projects between China and the Philippines is long and growing. The blooming relationship of the two nations is now based on their “comprehensive, strategic cooperation” as agreed upon in 2018.
Indeed, this is a feather in the caps of both President Xi Jinping and President Rodrigo R. Duterte that should be pursued by the president-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
China-Philippine cooperation has proven to be a boon not only for the Philippines and China but to the ASEAN and the entire Asia-Pacific region as it has been a fountainhead of economic prosperity in the promotion of peace, stability and harmony.
The cooperation is boosting our global effort towards building the “Community of Shared Future for Mankind.”
(Samahan si Ka Mentong Laurel at mga panauhin sa “Power Thinks” tuwing Miyerkules @6pm Live Global Talk News Radio (GTNR) sa Facebook at sa Talk News TV sa You Tube; at tuwing Linggo 8 to 10am sa RP1 738khz AM sa radyo).