China-Funded Project in PH Receives Petition, SC Makes Order to Gov’t
SC – The Supreme Court commanded the government to react on the petition against the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project which is funded by China.
Since President Rodrigo Roa Duterte took office, the ties between the Philippines and China is strengthened more by the different deals and agreements.
In April 2018, there were six(6) bilateral agreements signed including the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project. It was agreed that China will fund the said project in the Philippines.
Around a year after the deal was signed, a petition to declare it unconstitutional crossed the surface.
Based on a recent report on CNN, the Makabayan Bloc led by senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares called out for the declaration of the alleged unconstitutionality of the agreement.
According to the petitioners, the multi-billion project is “onerous” and it allegedly has a confidentiality clause that goes against the right of the public to the information on foreign loans that the government is engaging with.
According to the report, the SC commanded the government to react to the petition over the China-funded project.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo assured that the Palace will give its side on the matter. He stressed that the agreement has pass through reviews and evaluations.
“There had been many reviews and evaluations, we feel that it’s not in violation of the Constitution as alleged by the petitioner,” Panelo said.
As of this writing, the government has yet to release its full statement on the matter. We’ll keep you posted for updates.
