Palace: China should be given flexibility in hiring workers for Chinese-funded projects

Malacañang on Wednesday justified the hiring of Chinese workers for infrastructure projects in the country that were funded by China.

Senators earlier questioned why Chinese nationals accounted for at least a third of the workforce for the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge and Binondo-Intramuros Bridge construction projects, arguing the government should prioritize the creation of more job opportunities for Filipinos.

However, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the two bridge projects were donations from the Chinese government.

“It’s being given to us 100%, we don’t pay back anything for the building of these bridges and that is why we need to give them some flexibility in the personnel that they hire,” he said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

“Had this been a project that we would pay for using taxpayers’ money, of course the government would insist that aside from highly technical positions, that Philippine labor should be employed.”

Roque said he would discuss the issue with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to check if the government can insist that more Filipinos should be hired.

“But my gut feel is because it’s a 100% grant, the Chinese have to be given more flexibility on the decision on whom to hire,” he said.

Last week, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said foreign nationals are being employed in the country's infrastructure projects because of the required technical skills they possess.

The 734-meter Binondo-Intramuros Bridge is a two-way four-lane bridge envisioned to provide Binondo district in Manila a new link to Intramuros.

The 506-meter Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, meanwhile, will replace the existing bridge connecting Estrella Street in Makati  City to Barangka Drive in Mandaluyong City. Once completed, the bridge can accommodate an average of 50,000 vehicles per day, the DPWH said.—AOL, GMA News