https://padlet.com/galanodarlenerose/lcbic0kpwmf5hae1 Activity #1 en-us 2021-01-07 09:35:12 UTC 2022-07-17 09:44:55 UTC hello@padlet.com galanodarlenerose https://padlet.com/galanodarlenerose/lcbic0kpwmf5hae1/wish/1062523354  Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:07 AM September 17, 2020 

 Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana stunned legislators last week with the disclosure that, after some initial hesitation, he had signed the agreement that would allow Dito Telecommunity Corp. to put up key telecommunications facilities in a number of military camps run by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 

 Dito Telecommunity is 40-percent owned by China Telecom, a company controlled by the Chinese government, while 60 percent is owned by Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Logistics headed by Dennis Uy, one of the top campaign funders of President Duterte. 

 Lorenzana said he signed the deal “recently,” and sought to downplay concerns first raised last year that the agreement posed grave national security issues. The deal only concerned military camps that already host facilities of Dito rivals Globe Telecom and Smart Communications, said Lorenzana. 

 What is wrong with that argument? Lorenzana grossly fudges the issue by equating China Telecom with Globe and Smart, both of which are privately-run companies. China Telecom, on the other hand, is under the control of the Beijing government, which over the past years has grabbed Philippine territory in the West Philippine Sea, militarized the region, harassed Filipino fishermen, and unrelentingly undermined Philippine interests even as it has professed friendship and support toward a deferential Duterte administration. ]]> 2021-01-07 09:46:43 UTC https://padlet.com/galanodarlenerose/lcbic0kpwmf5hae1/wish/1062523354