As Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte kept on realigning to Asian superpower China, the Philippines is continuing to get trade, business and financial assistance from the East Asian country.
The Department of Finance earlier announced that China's financial pledges are expected to hit USD 7.3 billion, to be used for infrastructure development throughout the country this year.
The finance body said the pledges will be delivered through grants and soft loans that would finance the country's biggest infrastructure projects, ranging from bridges' construction and the rehabilitation of battle-torn Marawi City.
Local officials earlier said that Marawi at least needs USD 1.8 billion to rebuild itself from the ruins of war that displaced at least 300,000 people.
Other identified projects to be funded by China are two drug rehabilitation centers in Mindanao and other water source dam projects and pump irrigation facility projects that will improve farming communities in the country.
China and the Philippines also signed an agreement to jointly identify cooperation projects for possible financing from China. These proposed projects include Davao City expressway, Panay-Guimaras-Negros inter-island bridge and the Subik-Clark railway.
Analysts believed that this assistance is a result of the Philippine's growing affiliation with China as Duterte announced that his administration's priority is to build a relationship with Asian neighbors, especially China.
Duterte also allowed China to explore whether any of its telecommunication companies can provide efficient service to internet subscribers in the Philippines.
Duterte wanted a third player in the telecommunications industry since there are only two players in the Philippines that provide slow internet services to the more than 40 million Filipino internet subscribers.
Duterte's invitation to China's telecom is indeed a manifestation of how the Philippines has been initiating moves to bring the country closer to China so it can, in return, support and sustain the Philippine's economic growth.
China has also played a very crucial role in fighting terrorism in the Philippines by providing three thousand rifles to Philippines soldiers to battle ISIS-inspired terrorists in the five-month-long battle last year.
