Senators vow to block sale of Philippines properties in Japan

MANILA, Philippines — Senators have vowed to block the planned sale of the country’s properties in Japan, saying it is not for the government to sell something owned by the Filipino people.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said last Friday it would also be “impractical” to sell the country’s properties in Kobe and Tokyo.

“They are symbols of our diplomatic ties with Japan. Besides, there are many other government properties in the Philippines that we can sell instead,” Sotto said.

Malacañang said the sale was needed to raise funds but officials have been giving different reasons for it, ranging from paying for the ballooning retirement pay of uniformed personnel, funding programs to fight the pandemic, to subsidizing the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

The senators backed the strong opposition of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., who slammed the proposed sale as a “retirement fund of last resort” for some government officials “who’ve run through the budgets of their own agencies.”

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, who chairs the Senate committee on foreign relations, stressed that Philippine properties in Japan, being war reparations, “are properties belonging to the public domain.”

“They belong to the Filipino people. Do not sell. Anyway, there is no clamor or even sentiment from the people to sell these,” Pimentel said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon cited a 1990 Supreme Court ruling that stated that it is not for the President to convey valuable real property of the government on his or her own sole will.

He said any such conveyance must be authorized and approved by a law enacted by Congress or requiring executive and legislative concurrence. He, however, said he would block any bill filed in Congress seeking such a sale.

“I will oppose the passage of that law in the Senate. It is indeed true as the Supreme Court ruled in 1990 that the Roppongi property is valuable, not so much because of the inflated prices fetched by real property in Tokyo, but more so because of its symbolic value to all Filipinos, veterans and civilians alike,” Drilon said.