Former Philippine Foreign Secretary proposed confiscating Chinese assets

`When determining financial damage from China, the government has the right to confiscate Chinese-owned assets in the Philippines to pay China’s debt to the Filipino people,` former Secretary of State Albert del Rosario said at the conference.

`These assets may include the Chinese government’s shares in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and China Telecom, which claims to be the third largest telecommunications company in the Philippines,` Rosario said.

Former Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on CNN program, June 2019.

According to a study by the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI), China owes the Philippines more than 230 billion pesos (about 4.6 billion USD) for destroying coral reefs and harming marine life.

China Power Grid Corporation (SGCC) has held a 40% stake in NGCP since 2008, under former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Senator Risa Hontiveros and former Supreme Court deputy chief justice Antonio Carpio warned of the risk of the Chinese government controlling the Philippine national power grid through a state-owned corporation.

China Telecom is another Chinese state-owned corporation.

China Telecom will build infrastructure and provide technology for Dito Telecommunity.

Philippine officials and experts warn of information security risks when allowing China Telecom to enter the country’s market.

Chinese coast guard ship at Scarborough Shoal, April 2017.

`Even though China does not respect internationally recognized rights to the territory, fishermen and Filipinos, our government still welcomes China while countries such as Australia, Japan, India, the United States and the United Nations

`It is time for Filipinos to unite and demand what they are entitled to. This is also the time for us to protect ourselves from China’s continuous abuses,` said the former Philippine foreign secretary.

China in recent years has increased its activities in the East Sea region through its navy, coast guard and militia fleets, operating in resource-rich waters.

Senator Hontiveros in April submitted a petition to the Senate to request compensation from China.