PBBM cites importance of continued partnership with Japan

Marcos also reiterated that his administration would put a premium on agriculture to ensure food security and transform the Philippine economy. (PCO file photo)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday stressed the need to continue the Philippines’ partnership with Japan in various fields, including agriculture, infrastructure and defense.

Marcos made the statement during his meeting with officials of the Japan-Philippines Parliamentarians Friendship League (JPPFL) led by its chairperson Moriyama Hiroshi at Malacañan Palace in Manila.

“The support that we are receiving from Japan in this regard, in terms of our equipment, in terms of our interoperability operations, are valuable, I think, for both our countries and I believe that we should strengthen that,” he said.

“We should continue that and continue to be in partnership as we face the different, the volatile situation that we have in our region,” Marcos added.

Marcos acknowledged that Japan has been the Philippines’ partner for years now when it comes to infrastructure and agricultural development, citing assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as well as loans and financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Marcos said the Philippines and its Japanese partners, especially in infrastructure development, could reap benefits from several arrangements such as public-private partnership (PPP), and government-to-government (G2G) partnerships, and even joint ventures.

Marcos also reiterated that his administration would put a premium on agriculture to ensure food security and transform the Philippine economy.

“It is something that we feel is important, not only for the survival of our populace, the food supply of our populace, but also it is necessary….. If the rest of our industrialization can continue, if the rest of our digitalization can continue, it must be based on a strong foundation of agriculture sector,” he said.

“In this regard, certainly Japan has been a very strong partner of the Philippines, in terms of transfer of technology, in terms of support that has been given by Japan to Filipino farmers and the Philippines’ agricultural sector,” the President added.

During the meeting with Marcos, Moriyoma expressed support for the Philippines’ development initiatives, particularly in agriculture, infrastructure, defense and security, as well as the Mindanao peace process.

“We’d also like to see government-to-government cooperation on strengthening the defense industry, which is a priority. That’s why regarding the OSA, Official Security Assistance, the Philippines is one of the first candidate countries for OSA,” he said.

Moriyama said Japan is pleased to see the Philippines’ achievement on defense, particularly the implementation of joint training in the past months.

Marcos said the trilateral agreement with the United States is also “another very important step” to guarantee the peace and safety of the shipping lanes, as well as to protect territorial rights and sovereignty.

The JPPFL is composed of parliamentarians who promote Japan’s relations with the Philippines at the National Diet (House of Parliament). It is vital and instrumental in sustaining Japan’s development and technical assistance to the Philippines.

The meeting with JPPFL officials coincided with the Philippines-Japan Friendship Month, which is celebrated every July.

Present during the meeting at Malacañan were Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Communications Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia Albano and other officials from the Embassy of Japan to the Philippines.

Formed in 1986 to advance legislative initiatives that promote positive engagement between the Philippines and Japan, JPPFL also leads Japan’s cultivation of inter-parliamentary relations with the Philippine Congress.

The Philippines-Japan Parliamentarian Association was established in 1987 following the JPPFL’s visit to the Philippines.