RECENTLY, a review of a number of aborted Chinese loan deals that had been intended for big-ticket infrastructure projects was ordered by President Bongbong Marcos, a decision that was met with widespread approval, though for different reasons. (I will henceforth use Bongbong Marcos to refer to the President, and avoid using "Ferdinand Jr." to refer to him. This way, what is lost in constant genuflection toward a problematic past will be replaced by familiarity that he himself cultivates).

For those who are concerned about the government's debt burden generally, which has expanded rapidly over the past several years, the signal from the new administration that it would try to be more discerning was welcomed. Likewise, those who are worried about the ramifications of the previous administration's encouragement of Chinese neo-colonization were relieved by the indication that the new government is willing to try to throw a few sandbags in front of that flood.

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