Foreign Affairs Sec. Teodoro Locsin Jr. That he would not allow the sale of Philippine properties in Japan.
According to Locsin, he will not sell the blood of the Filipinos and he will immediately reject any attempt to sell the said reparations or damages of Japan for the Philippines.
He said to those who think that there is an influence to sell them should try it and they will just fail.
Locsin said this at the hearing of the senate committee of foreign relations where Sen. Koko Pimentel asked where did the proposal come from.
According to Locsin, he was notified of such a suggestion but did not bother to find out where the “crooked proposal” came from.
He said he is very grateful to the Senate for supporting his opposition to it.
This was raised because Sen. Leila De Lima’s Senate Resolution No. 535 was included in the committee’s agenda in which she insisted that the president should stop all plans to sell Philippine properties in Japan.
Properties of PH in Japan not for sale – Locsin
De Lima’s resolution referred to President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement on September 28, 2020, that he intends to sell properties in Japan to provide additional funding to Philhealth.
In April 2020, Duterte said he would consider selling government assets as a last resort to fund the government’s COVID-19 response in case “end game” comes.
Duterte said in a televised address to the public that aired early Thursday “end game” is when the government already ran out of money to combat the pandemic coronavirus.
“What is the endgame? Pag maubos talaga ang pera,” Duterte said. “Pag wala na akong makuha and we’re about to sink and really sink, I will sell all the assets of the government tapos itulong ko sa tao.”
(What is the endgame? If the money runs out. When I can’t get any more, and we’re about to sink, I will sell all the assets of the government and use it to help the people.)
Duterte cited the idea of selling the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) or the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).