DAVAO CITY – Amidst the sea territorial tension between the Philippines and China, a labor group wants 16 Chinese experts working at the country’s National Grid Corporation of the Philippines be replaced by Filipino experts.
“We have a very delicate situation rife with national security interest issue where a very critical and a very strategic government facility is in the hands of and controlled by foreigners,” said Louie Corral, executive director of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa).
Corral said the 16 Chinese national’s Alien Employment Permit (AEP) expires on July 31 this year.
“We would like to see this corrected as quickly as possible by having the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) ensure the immediate termination of their work permits immediately and not allow it renewed,” said Corral.
Corral said they are “expecting that the DOE have ensured that operations manual for the national country grid network have been translated into English from Chinese in time for the transition.”
“It’s scandalous and irresponsible for us to have allowed that the NGCP operations manual— the command and control of the entire electricity system to be hostaged to a foreign language and hostaged to foreign experts,” Corral said.
For his part, TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the labor group is also urging the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) to conduct due diligence in the integrity of the entire NGCP transmission system.
TUCP said they have a reliable information “alleging State Grid of China have installed fiber optics attached to the command and control of the entire grid without the appropriate franchise from the House of Representatives.”
“We have a serious national security concern given the current state of play of China-Philippine relations,” the group said.(davaotoday.com)
