The Philippines is looking forward to a stronger and closer partnership with Japan as the country emerges as one of the Asian region’s tiger economies, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said.
Dominguez said Japan was a “true and reliable friend” of the Philippines, which, he said, would continue to depend on the close relationship to help fuel its economic emergence and the grand plan to bring its people to prosperity.
Dominguez made the statement during the diplomatic reception for the 120th anniversary of Philippine Independence held at the Fuji Room of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo on Wednesday night.
He said as the Philippines emerged to join the ranks of Asia’s tiger economies, its bilateral ties with Japan had “become closer and stronger.”
He noted that Japan remained the Philippines’ major source of official development assistance, its main source of infrastructure support, a top export market and one of its most important trade partners.
“The story of Philippine independence, therefore, is also a story of partnership between our two nations. Japan’s willingness to support our development efforts has always been a strong thread running through our nation’s history,” Dominguez said in his speech.
Also in attendance at the reception were Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Yasuo Fukuda, the former Prime Minister of Japan; Taro Kono, Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; Jose Laurel V, the Philippine ambassador to Tokyo; Koji Haneda, the Japanese ambassador to Manila; and Nobuteru Ishihara, chairman of the Japan-Philippines Parliamentarian’s Friendship League.
“Over the past decades, Japan has been a true and reliable friend to the Philippines. It has been a major partner in our own development,” Dominguez said.
Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar were also present at the event.
The finance chief said over the medium term, the Philippine government intended to make the “most dramatic advances” towards finally resolving its persistent problem of poverty, by working to make the country an upper middle-income economy by 2022 and reducing poverty incidence to just 14 percent by that time.
