The President’s hometown is a major beneficiary from Chinese loans.
President Rodrigo Duterte may have particularly wanted to ensure that his beloved Davao will be the poster boy of his pivot towards China.
It seems to be taking root, as it turns out that a number of major infrastructure projects in the area are being funded by official development assistance from Beijng.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Commerce Minister Zhong Shan of China actually finalized a Memorandum of Understanding specifically to cooperate about key infrastructure projects in Davao Region during President Xi Jinping’s visit here.
Part of the list are the Davao City Expressway Project, the Davao-Samal Bridge, the Bucana-Davao River Coastal Bypass Road of the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Mindanao Railway Project of the Department of Transportation.
