VICE President Noli ‘Kabayan’ De Castro lauded the Chinese
community for joining the Filipinos even in the most trying times of the
country.
Speaking during the 6th Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day
hosted by the Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCCI) at the
Hotel Sofitel in Pasay City last Friday, De Castro expressed gratitude to
Chinese businessmen for staying in the country when it was going through bad
times economically.
"You could have left, together with other foreign investors
and businessmen who lost interest in the, because you had the opportunity and
the means to do so. Yet, you stayed on and invested in our country today, your
business remains strong as ever," he said.
"You brought home not just business opportunities but also
the richness of Chinese culture and society," he said.
When asked by China-based mediamen on the current
relationship between and the, De Castro said the ties of the two countries are
getting stronger and more fruitful in the field of agriculture, mining,
transportation, and especially housing.
De Castro heads the Housing and Urban Development
Coordinating Council (HUDCC) which is tasked by the government to shelter
millions of homeless Filipinos.
He told the Chinese reporters that he is thankful to and its
people for supporting the country’s various development projects particularly
its shelter program.
"As most of you know, we have just tapped the support of the
Chinese government through an official development assistance for the
implementation of low cost housing program in the under a preferential facility
initially amounting to $100 million.
He said the government negotiated for a preferential loan and
it was not difficult to talk to the Chinese counterparts.
"This loan would help a lot in meeting the housing needs of
our teachers, police, soldiers, and other fixed income earners from the private
sector," he said.
While De Castro is grateful to all the assistance provided
by, he still cited several areas where the Filipinos and its friends from the
Chinese community can cooperate to further improve their relationship.
These areas, he said, are the job creation, promotion of entrepreneurship
among the youth and the continued support in the development needs of the
families affected by the national railway improvement project.
