MANILA – Building a new water source for Metro Manila, which will be sourced from Quezon province, should be funded through local sources instead of loans from China, a lawmaker said Wednesday.
Manila has tapped official development assistance of $211.2 million (P11.2 billion) from Beijing to build the Kaliwa Dam, but Quezon representative Danilo Suarez said there was a rival proposal from a private firm in the Philippines.
Regulators and utilities are rushing alternative water sources as tens of thousands in Metro Manila grapple with a supply shortage that left taps dry and disrupted businesses.
“Madami naman paglalagyan ng Chinese protocol, lakihan na lang natin sa iba. Itong tubig ng National Capital Region, meron nang pirmado ang private sector. Give it to them,” Suarez said, adding the House should come up with a study.
“Sa akin, mas mabuti na dito sa atin sa Pilipinas manggaling ang utang, tutal, all banks now are oozing with money,” he said.
The Filipino firm, he said, could “do the same with even better features” compared to China. It can also sue the government for breach of contract, he said. (ABS-CBN News)
