The work visas of 18 Chinese experts who are working with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) will not be renewed, said Philippine Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla in a statement.

Petilla's remarks come a day after Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago criticized the employment of the Chinese experts in the privately-owned corporation, which takes charge of operating the country's power grid.

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With the hiring of the Chinese expatriates in the NGCP, the Senator says, the Philippines has been infected by a "national security virus."

The inclusion of the Chinese experts in the NGCP's labor force is due to the fact that the Chinese state firm, State Grid Corporation of China or SGCC, owns a 40-percent stake in the corporation.

The SGCC acts as the technical partner and part of the consortium that holds a 25-year concession to operate the country's power transmission network.

The two other members of the consortium are Monte Oro Grid Resources Corporation, led by Henry Sy Junior, and the Calaca High Power Corporation, owned by Roberto Coyiuto Junior.

Santiago believes the Chinese experts should have no role in a place as vital and as strategic as the Philippine power industry.

She also emphasizes that the Philippine Constitution is filled with requirements of Filipino nationalism.

The energy secretary sees nothing wrong with the use of Chinese expertise in the national grid, adding that the concern over the SGCC is only present in the Philippines.

He added that the Chinese firm also partly owns the transmission assets of other countries like Germany, Australia and Argentina.

"If we are paranoid about it, I'm not sure why Australia and the other countries are not," he says.

Nevertheless, the Department of Energy does not want to raise more debates on the issue.

Petilla says the matter has been resolved as early as the second quarter of last year, when it was agreed during a high-level meeting of key government agencies that the Chinese group in the NGCP will be replaced by Filipino experts.

He also says the outgoing Chinese experts will just have to turn over their duties to their Filipino counterparts, so that the latter will know how to use the Chinese company's technology.

The work visas of the 18 Chinese experts will expire in August.

TagsChinese Experts, Philippine Energy, Chinese Work Visas