The Philippines was able to secure P583 million worth of agreement from Japan to further boost various key areas of cooperation following bilateral talks between President Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“Today, key agreements have been signed that will propel the momentum of our bilateral relations in the next coming years, building on the Joint Statement issued on 9 February 2023 following my official visit to Japan,” President Marcos said after the bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Kishida inside Malacañang Palace.
“Our talks have been wide-ranging covering political, security, defense, trade and investment, development, and people-to-people ties,” he added.
During his speech, President Marcos declared that Japan had given the Philippines a grant worth P235 million through the Official Security Assistance (OSA) to enhance the military capabilities of the nation.
“The OSA grant worth JPY 600 million or around PHP 235 million will help boost the efforts of our Department of National Defense (DND) [by] securing coastal radars for our armed forces to enhance [their] maritime domain awareness capability and maritime security,” President Marcos said.
The OSA would improve the defense and security measures of the Philippines in safeguarding its territory. Meanwhile, PM Kishida also expressed his concern about the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, stating that any attempt to alter the status quo in the area through force is not acceptable.
“We share the serious concern about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and that attempt to unilaterally change [the] status quo by force is unacceptable,” the Japanese leader stated.
The President added that Japan and the Philippines have agreed to provide Non-Project Grant Aid to lessen the effects of climate change in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The grant is valued at P358 million and will be utilized to acquire construction equipment for improving the road network, implementing disaster quick response operations, and enhancing operations in BARMM.
Also signed on Friday were the Memorandum of Cooperation on Mining Sector between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan, and the Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Tourism between the Department of Tourism (DOT) of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism of Japan.The chief executive thanked Japan for its commitment to supporting the Philippines
to attain Upper Middle Income Country (UMIC) status by 2025 in line with the administration’s Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
He also lauded the Japan-funded Metro Manila Subway Project and the development of the North-South Commuter Railway as a way to secure reliable public mass transportation in the metro.
“My heartfelt thanks once again to Prime Minister Kishida and his delegation for this fruitful and meaningful visit,” Mr. Marcos said.
