The Philippines and China have agreed to prioritize infrastructure projects in the country that could be done in two to three years to ensure that these would be completed under the Duterte presidency.

A high-level Chinese delegation led by Commerce Minister Zhong Shan met with Cabinet officials led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III in Manila on Wednesday to discuss the details of the big-ticket infrastructure projects submitted by the Philippines to China for possible funding last year.

Dominguez said this latest meeting between key officials of the Philippines and China underscores the strong commitment between the two countries to sustain and further enhance their bilateral relations.

In the meeting, the Philippine delegation provided the Chinese officials with updates on the projects to be implemented in cooperation with China either through grants or loan assistance as well as an overview of the country’s medium-term development plan.

Among the meeting’s highlights was the exchange of notes between Dominguez and Zhong related to project financing procedures and the feasibility study for the drug rehabilitation facilities proposed by the Department of Health (DOH).

High-level consultations with China’s Ministry of Commerce began in January, when a Philippine mission led by Dominguez flew to Beijing to meet with Zhong’s predecessor, Minister Gao Hucheng, to discuss details of the Philippine projects submitted to Beijing for possible financing.

Dominguez said the Department of Finance (DOF) plans to officially submit two large-scale infrastructure projects to China within the month – the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project in the provinces of Cagayan and Kalinga with an estimated total project cost of $53.6 million and the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project in Quezon, estimated at $374.03 million.

In the meeting, Zhong suggested that both sides identify priority projects that could be completed within a two- to three-year period, to show “tangible progress” and results before the end of the Duterte administration.

09 March 2017