National security, energy experts to be invited to Senate probe into China stake in NGCP

The country’s top energy and national security experts would be invited to the Senate probe on the controversy surrounding China’s questionable stake in the country’s lone power transmission line, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Sunday.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, said it was imperative that senators are able to get a clearer picture of the possibility of a high-level national security threat posed by the State Grid of China’s 40 percent ownership on the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) by using the inputs that will be given by the country’s top engineers and national security experts.

“Pagdating sa usaping national security, dapat paranoid tayo. Normal sa paguusap ng national security ang maging paranoid, dahil dapat tingnan natin lahat ng posibilidad kasi (When it comes to national security, we need to be paranoid. It is only normal for our national security team to be paraonoid. We need to look into all the possibilities because) anything can happen in the future,” Gatchalian said in an interview over GMANews TV.

“Hindi pwedeng sabihin na hindi posibleng mangyari yan or hindi pwedeng mangyari yan. Hindi natin masabi (ano pwedeng mangyari) next year, 10 years or 20 years from now (We cannot say that that’s impossible to happen, or that it won’t happen. We cannot say what can happen next year, 10 years or 20 years from now),” he stressed.

Gatchalian made the statement following President Duterte’s assurance that China was not a potential threat to NGCP, and asserted that he will “quarrel” with the Asian giant if it ever interferes with the country’s electricity system.

Duterte also expressed belief China was only after business and will not risk its reputation in the international community if it remotely shuts down the country’s power system.

“I do not have that capability. I cannot fight China because I don’t have the armaments. And China has talked to us through me, kulang ba ang Pilipino ng trust, but I trust them. I take their word for it,” Duterte was quoted as saying.

But Gatchalian said it was wiser to listen to the country’s own authorities than rely on the information coming from external sources.

“Dalawang tao lang ang pakikinggan ko pagdating sa isyu na ito, una ang national security adviser natin at pangalawa ang ating DOE (Department of Energy) secretary… Sila ang may pinakamabigat na boses dito (When it comes to this issue, I will only listen to two persons here, our national security adviser and our DOE secretary… they are the most important voices here),” he said referring to retired chief of staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.