(Eagle News)–Senator Risa Hontiveros is calling for a Senate probe into the agreement between a Chinese telco and the Armed Forces of the Philippines that would supposedly allow the construction of Chinese telecommunications facilities inside military camps.
In filing Senate Resolution No. 137, Hontiveros wants to look in particular at the national security implications of the pact between Dito Telecommunity Corp., formerly known as Mislatel Consortium, and the military.
Hontiveros noted that this was the second time Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was “left in the dark” and “clueless” about Chinese deals with serious national security implications.
She said last month, Lorenzana said he was not consulted on the plan to allow Chinese firms to develop three Philippine islands, which he had said were strategic maritime fronts.
“Is there now a ‘sign first, worry about security later’ policy under this administration?” Hontiveros asked.
Hontiveros noted that under the agreement, Dito will be tasked with building the telecommunications infrastructure “on land leased within military bases,” thus raising fears over the possibility of espionage and other security risks.
She noted that Chinese corporations were obligated to support state intelligence-gathering efforts under Article 7 of China’s National Intelligence Law.
She added that China’s Counter-Espionage Law provides that “when the state security organ investigates and understands the situation of espionage and collects relevant evidence, the relevant organizations and individuals shall provide it truthfully and may not refuse.”
According to Hontiveros, the provisions of the agreement allowing the lease of portions of military bases may also be in violation of Section 88 of the Public Land Act, which she said states that “military reservations cannot be subject to lease, occupation, entry, sale, or other disposition, until declared alienable by provisions of the Act or by proclamation by the President.”
She said it may also be in violation of the AFP Modernization Act, which says that any “sale, lease or joint development of military reservations must be authorized by Congress.”
“There is an urgent need to determine whether or not the presence of Chinese facilities in military bases and installations undermines national security and whether or not the lease agreements entered into for this purpose comply with applicable law,” Hontiveros said.
