"Tigilan ang pagpapabango sa Tsina"
Hontiveros calls on Palace to stop exaggerating China's aid to the PH

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Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday questioned why the Palace continues to exaggerate the Chinese government's aid and development assistance to the Philippines. The senator also disputed Malacañang's statements that the country owes a huge debt of gratitude to China.

"Wala tayong utang na loob sa Tsina. Baka ang mga opisyal sa palasyo pa ang may utang na loob sa Beijing. Nakakapagtaka lang na ang nakaluklok sa Malacañang pa mismo ang nagpapabango sa pangalan ng Tsina, kahit umaaalingasaw na ang baho ng pang-aabuso nila sa mga Pilipino sa West Philippine Sea. Ano ba ang ugat ng special friendship na binabanggit nila?" Hontiveros asked.

The statement comes as the government's Investor Relations Office recently shared that China ranks only fifth among the Philippines' sources of official development assistance (ODA). Japan remains the country's top provider of ODA and infrastructure development partner.

Japan is then followed by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and South Korea. Japan's total ODA to the Philippines hit $11.2 billion. Despite the Palace's pivot to China, Beijing's ODA amounted to only $600 million.

"Malacañang should stop misleading the public. Huwag nilang pagmukhaing ang Tsina ang nangunguna sa pagbigay ng aid at loans sa Pilipinas. Nung una, ang sabi Build, Build, Build. Bakit naging Bow, Bow, Bow na yata? Inaagaw na nga ng China ang teritoryo natin sa WPS, tapos, tayo pa daw ang may utang na loob? Tayo dito sa Pilipinas ang nalulugi sa inaasal ng Malacañang," Hontiveros asked.

In 2018, President Duterte said that China is an "important ingredient" in the Build Build Build program. However, in November 2019, it was revealed that out of the 75 planned projects under the Build Build Build program, only nine had started construction. This poor completion rate was brought up in the plenary deliberations on the proposed 2020 budget.

"Poor in business sense, poor in foreign relations, poor in standing ground against bullies. Yan ang ipinapakita ng administrasyong ito. Nasa loob pa rin ng bansa ang higit 200 na Tsinong barko. Ilang beses nang nagprotesta, nakiusap, at tumindig ang iba't-ibang sektor. Palasyo na lang ang hindi sumasabay sa ihip ng hangin sa pag-kampi nya sa bestfriend nya," Hontiveros stressed.

"Sa laki ng perwisyong dinala ng China sa WPS, ang China ang dapat mahiya at magbayad sa atin. Let's not allow anyone, least of all our own officials, to tell us that we owe China a great deal. We must, at all times, put our country's interests first," Hontiveros concluded.