Today's Exactly100: Rubbish

When he was in power, former president Duterte’s pivot to China was hailed by government propagandists and supporters as proof of his nationalism, a departure from the pro-US position of his predecessors. It was the start of a new era in our relations with China, they said, a partnership of equals.

Yet during Duterte’s term, Chinese incursions into our Exclusive Economic Zone did not stop. They built more concrete structures and deprived Filipino fishermen of livelihood. Investments? We got POGOs. Aid? Lopsided loans favoring China and Chinese contractors. Most of these projects never took off.

A new era? Pure rubbish. /Joey Salgado