JICA President Akihiko Tanaka visited the Philippines from January 17 to 21. During his stay, he met with Vice President Duterte, Chief Cabinet Secretary Bersamin, and many cabinet ministers, and inspected cooperation projects. He also visited the Bangsamoro Muslim Mindanao Autonomous Region, where he was the first foreigner to address the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA) Congress, and was honored to receive a resolution of appreciation and praise from the BTA Congress.
Vice President Duterte thanked JICA for its more than 50 years of cooperation, especially in the Mindanao peace process and the Davao City bypass construction project. At the same time, he expressed his hope for JICA’s continued cooperation in addressing the country’s diverse development challenges. In response, President Tanaka stated that the Philippines is an important partner for Japan and that JICA will continue to cooperate with the Philippines in line with its development plans.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Bersamin said Japan is a most reliable partner and expressed hope for JICA’s cooperation in infrastructure development and combating traffic congestion in Metro Manila. In addition, President Tanaka exchanged views with Minister of Budget and Management Panganderman, Secretary of the Office of the Presidential Advisor for Peace, Reconciliation, and Integration and Minister of Defense Galvez, and Minister of Public Works and Highways Bonoyan on promoting the Mindanao peace process and cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, maritime affairs, and disaster prevention. The two countries confirmed the need to further deepen relations and strengthen cooperation.
In Manila, the participants test rode the Metropolitan Region Railway Line 3 (MRT Line 3), which JICA has been cooperating in its rehabilitation and maintenance through yen loans since 2018, and confirmed that the operating speed and operating intervals have been improved with Japanese cooperation. The tour also reconfirmed that the Pasig-Marikina River improvement project and other projects are leading to improvements in people’s lives and economic activities, starting from the Guadalupe Bridge area. Furthermore, they inspected the 97-meter class multi-purpose vessel provided to the Philippine Coast Guard last year through yen loans, as well as the suppression technique training, and confirmed the results of Japan’s cooperation over the years, and reaffirmed the importance of efforts to strengthen the Philippines’ coast guard capability, which is located in a sea lane that is indispensable to Japan. The participants reaffirmed the importance of efforts to strengthen the Philippines’ maritime security capability, which is located in a sea lane indispensable to Japan.
Visiting Cotabato City on the island of Mindanao, President Tanaka delivered the first speech by a foreigner to the BTA Congress, praising the steady progress of the Mindanao peace process through years of cooperation since the 1990s, and noting JICA’s future cooperation policy and expectations for continued efforts to help peace take root. He also mentioned JICA’s future cooperation policy and expectations for continued efforts toward the consolidation of peace. After the speech, the BTA Congress presented the President and JICA with a resolution of appreciation and praise for their cooperation in the Mindanao peace process. He also exchanged views with BTA Interim Prime Minister Ibrahim and other officials on key policies of the Second Bangsamoro Development Plan.
In Upi town, North Maguindanao, Mindanao, we visited residents trained in agriculture through the technical assistance “Bangsamoro Comprehensive Capacity Building Project” and inspected the Kibleg Elementary School. Upi town is one of the areas where JICA supported the construction of an elementary school and a community center after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in March 2014, so that the peace dividends of the peace process would quickly reach the people in Mindanao conflict affected areas, including former combatants. Livelihood development assistance continues to be provided to the people, including former combatants.
In addition to the conventional support for reconstruction of conflict-affected areas, livelihood improvement, and the peace process, JICA plans to strengthen its support for mid- to long-term regional development planning, including support for the establishment of resilient infrastructure and institutions that can withstand crises, including natural disasters, with the aim of further establishing peace in Mindanao.
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