MANILA, Philippines – Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros is calling for a Senate probe on the “strategic security implications” of the development and investments by Chinese investors on three islands in Northern Luzon and the Island Cove Resort in Cavite.
Chinese investors are reportedly eyeing the establishment of economic and tourism zones in Fuga Island in Cagayan and Grande and Chiquita Islands in Subic Bay, Zambales.
READ: Chinese investors eye 3 PH isles
Meanwhile, the 32-hectare Island Cove Resort in Kawit, Cavite was purchased by an investor and converted into a Philippine offshore gaming operation (POGO) complex with housing facilities for about 20,000 foreign workers, Hontiveros noted.
She has filed Senate Resolution No. 74 which urges the proper committee to conduct an inquiry into the implications of the development of the said islands and properties.
The Philippine Navy, Hontiveros said, considers the Fuga Island a “strategic feature” as it controls access to the Luzon strait, both sides of the Pacific Ocean, and the South China Sea.
The island also has a private airfield on an adjacent islet and lies near a submarine telecommunications cable that connects the Philippines to mainland Asia.
Hontiveros also pointed out that both Grande and Chiquita islands are near the disputed Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Navy has stated that control of the three islands is “essential to maintaining Philippine maritime strategic security,” the senator said.
Meanwhile, the former Island Cove facility is only around 3.5 kilometers from key air and naval bases, she said. /gsg
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