Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s office on Wednesday defended a controversial deal to allow a Chinese-backed telecoms company to set up communications facilities on military bases, rejecting opponents’ warnings that it could compromise national security.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines last week signed a memorandum of agreement with Dito Telecommunity Corp, the country’s new telecoms provider, to build and manage communications towers and other equipment on military camps and installations.
But the pact comes at a time when Mr Duterte, who also wants to pursue joint offshore energy projects with China, faces growing attacks from the political opponents and local media over his administration’s warming relationships with Beijing.
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