IT takes political will to go after big business establishments that are allegedly cheating the government of much needed revenue. Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is determined to go after businessmen who underdeclare their properties.
If we were to establish an alliance with China, trust should be the basis before anything else. Chinese investors and Filipino/Chinese engaged in business in our country have to prove they could be trusted and relied upon to protect the interests of the Filipino people, not just their own business interests.
First and foremost, we have to investigate whether or not these business establishments are really owned by legitimate corporations or are merely dummies. I am afraid that we might wake up one day only to discover that majority of our lands are no longer owned by Filipinos but by Chinese nationals—in the worse scenario, by China. Okay, call me paranoid. But the reclamation of our territorial waters did not happen overnight. Somebody must have allowed the illegal activities in our ocean, and whoever that is, should be charged with treason.
Foreign nationals should not own major stocks of basic services like light and water so that they could not hold us hostage in our own country. In full control, they can easily sabotage our economy.
One only has to take a closer look on major businesses. Most of these are owned, if not financed, by Chinese businessmen. We are fully aware who owns our airlines and shipping companies, our department stores and supermarkets, our factories and industrial plants, banks and other financial institutions, and some of our resorts. It is common knowledge that some foreigners marry Filipino women to enable them to establish businesses in our country. There were even instances that as soon as they were able to operate their businesses, these foreign nationals left their Filipino spouses.
The Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Securities and Exchange Commission should have a coordinated effort in looking into existing business establishments and those that are yet to be put up to ensure that we do not lose our sovereignty to China.