September 5, 2004
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. yesterday said the three-day state visit of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the Peoples’ Republic of China "was worth it."
"The value of state visits of the President should not be measured only in dollars and cents. The importance of state visits, especially to China, the looming giant in the northwestern horizon of the country, cannot be gainsaid," Pimentel said.
Pimentel, one of the lawmakers who joined the Philippine delegation with the concurrence of the Senate minority bloc, made this assessment after arriving with the delegation Friday night from the PROC.
He was one of the speakers during the regular "Kapihan sa Sulo" press forum at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon city yesterday.
"A good neighbor, a Chinese proverb says, is better that an absent brother. We might add, especially a neighbor which has all the signs of becoming the other world superpower, economically and militarily in the next 15 years or so," Pimentel pointed out.
The former Senate President said that the best thing that could be said of the trip "is that it started some concrete- modest- steps to ease tensions in the Spratlys."
"Specifically, an agreement was signed for a joint seismic study to determine the presence of oil/gas in the South China Sea, particularly in the Spratlys," he added.
Unstated in the agreement, according to Pimentel, is the intent of both the Philippines and PROC to eventually propose a "condominium" development approach to the utilization of resources that may be discovered in islets that are contested not only by both countries but also by Vietnam and other neighboring countries.
Former Senate Majority Leader Francisco S. Tatad recalled his days in the Senate where he espoused his proposal that cooperation among countries claiming ownership of the Spratlys island chain, partly or wholly, is the ideal solution which needs full-bodied negotiations, including non-claimants who have the right of free passage in the South China Sea.
Tatad asked Malacanang to publicize the terms of RP-PROC joint seismic exploration agreement as they involve security and geopolitical implications.
The agreement, according to Pimentel, was signed among private corporations with the backing of both countries which witnessed the signing ceremony.
Pimentel revealed that he and other Philippine lawmakers were excluded in the negotiations for a joint seismic exploration .
Inclusion of lawmakers in such agreements would go a long way in it being accepted by the Senate, the treaty-ratifying body of the government, and the House of Representatives foreign relations committee, Tatad pointed out.
Both Pimentel and Tatad noted that members of Congress were included in negotiations of treaties and other international agreements such as the RP-US Military Bases Agreement and the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty in the late 40s and early 50s.
They then asked whether the President’s trip to mainland China was a play for China’s support following the controversial withdrawal by the President of the 51-man contingent to Iraq after armed men held hostage and threatened to behead a Filipino truck driver. (Mario B. Casayuran)
Solons laud loan deal
President Arroyo has been lauded by congressmenfrom theregion thatwould mainly benefit from the $400-million loan agreement forged by the Philippine and Chinese governments for the construction of phase one of the North Rail project.
Reps. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado (Bulacan), Lorna Silverio (Bulacan) and Aurelio Umali (Nueva Ecija) believed the project would spur further development in Central Luzon.
They also deemed the rail project, which would link Caloocan, Malolos and Clark, would boost investment and trade inthe country’s rice granary.
"The project will provide greater accessibility to the development zone in Clark and other investment areas in Bulacan and Pampanga. On the other hand, Central Luzon residents and investors will have easier access to Metro Manila," Alvarado, president of the Central Luzon Congressional Caucus, said.
Phase one of the project spans 32.2 kilometers from Caloocan City to Malolos in Bulacan. It has a total of six stations that would be built in Caloocan, Valenzuela (the main depot), Malabon, Bocaue, Marilao and Malolos.
Citing the study conducted by the North Luzon Railways Transport project, Alvarado said the maximum travel time from Caloocan to Malolos will be 45 minutes compared to buses that take an average of 145 minutes to ply the same route.
The initial fare rate of P70 pesos would be cheaper than other land-based transportation, he added.
"The North Rail project reflects President Arroyo’s sensitivity to the needs of our people to interlink with other parts of the country to attain progress and development," Alvarado said.
Silverio said the project, which is expected to be completed by 2007, will bring tremendous benefits to Central Luzon residents, who will have greater access to Manila and Clark.
"By linking Manila with Central Luzon, the government would be fulfilling President Arroyo’s commitment to decentralize development by linking the entire country through a network of transport and modern digital infrastructure," Silverio, chairperson of the House committee on inter-parliamentary services, said.
Umali, a member of the powerful Commission on Appointments, said: "We should commend the President for working hard to get the full commitment of the Chinese government to fund Phase 1 of the North Rail Project."
The North Rail Project costs $503-million, $421 million of which would be funded by the Chinese government through the Export-Import Bank of China.
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