THE Chinese government has pledged to build several billion peso projects in Pangasinan that would create various economic opportunities, boost health and sanitation, employment, food, income of the people, and more taxes to the Philippine government.
This was announced by Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. who hosted here on Sunday Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Li Jin Jun before the two went as guests of honor and speaker to a program hosted by the Dagupan City Lions Club at the Star Plaza Hotel.

De Venecia said Ambassador Li Jun personally offered the help of the Chinese government to undertake feasibility studies at no cost to the Philippines government for the laying of kilometers of pipeline that will convey fresh water from the San Roque Multi-Purpose Project in eastern Pangasinan to the provinces’ central plain.

Other projects that the Chinese government expressed interested to build here area tractor factory to be located either at Clark or in Pangasinan, a cement plant in western Pangasinan and a Chinese-Philippine Fishery Research and Development Center to be located in Dagupan City.

De Venecia said the feasibility study for the water pipeline will cost from P50 million to P100 million but this does not include the project itself which will be discussed further with the Chinese government.

The project involves the laying of kilometers of pipeline that will bring water by gravity to the central plain of Pangasinan where wells are now drying up and beginning to taste salty.

De Venecia said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was elated to know that the Chinese ambassador agreed that his government will immediately undertake feasibility studies for the project and to determine its final cost. “Imagine, from being the cause of destruction during the flood season, the water of the San Roque dam will soon be used for drinking purposes, aside from irrigation,” de Venecia said.

At the same time, Ambassador Li Jin Jun has expressed the Chinese government’s interest in building a modern cement plant in western Pangasinan, possibly near the Zambales border which was tagged as “highly mineralized”.

Two previous attempts by separate foreign companies to build cement plants in the province in the 1990s were however thwarted by oppositors.

De Venecia said a cement plant in western Pangasinan will ensure not only jobs and income to the province but will also help reduce the high cost of cement in the Philippines.

“Cement in the Philippines costs P180 per bag whereas in China, cement costs only P80 per bag. No wonder, we can’t build cheap roads, airports and mass housing,” de Venecia said.

He said because of high cost of cement in the country, the cost of roads per kilometer and the cost of building houses per unit are much higher than in China.