PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have met twice. First, in September in New York, on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and second in Phnom Penh on November 12, at the Asean + 3 Summit.
On both occasions, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitments to reinforce ties and strengthen cooperation, citing their mutual desire for continued economic growth and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marcos Jr. noted that 66 years since the normalization of bilateral ties, the Philippines and Japan “have fostered one of the closest partnerships in the region.” Kishida, meanwhile, reiterated Japan’s commitment to supporting the Philippines’ economic development to become an upper middle-income country.
The two leaders have expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation in the next years “will lead to the further realization of the two countries’ common aspiration for regional peace and stability, and a better life for their peoples.”
‘… cooperation between Philippines and Japan will help facilitate development, transfer and dissemination of relevant technologies, not just in mitigation but also in the reduction of risks posed by disasters.’
This unending reiteration of support and cooperation has become most evident in the field of infrastructure and development finance, fleshing out details of the big picture Marcos and Kishida painted in Cambodia and New York.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), joined by Japanese experts, recently held the first of a series of meetings to discuss the work plan in improving the capabilities of government engineers in incorporating the latest technologies to address the problem of road disasters in mountainous areas.
Public Works Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan stressed the importance of the meeting especially to the continuing program of the DPWH on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
Secretary Bonoan has created a Joint Coordinating Committee chaired by DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain to ensure the effectiveness and success of the ongoing implementation of the Technical Cooperation Project on Road Disaster Preventions and other Countermeasures on Mountainous Roads in the Philippines, under the assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Sadain said that the cooperation between Philippines and Japan will help facilitate development, transfer and dissemination of relevant technologies, not just in mitigation but also in the reduction of risks posed by disasters.
Japan, which is known for disaster mitigation especially during earthquakes, will provide the Philippines with technology transfer which will enhance our permanent countermeasure works and response for slope disaster, create hazard maps for road disaster risk reduction, and improve information management based on a Road Disaster Information System to be developed.
These are the kinds of assistance the nation needs from more progressive countries such as Japan.
