SECRETARY of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Ambassador Koji Haneda of Japan signed and exchanged diplomatic notes at the Department of Foreign Affairs headquarters on June 8 that firmed up the latter’s support for two major Philippine infrastructure projects, as well as grants for agriculture development, higher education scholarships and critically needed health equipment.
Described by the Embassy of Japan as performed in “austere rites,” the exchange of notes covered the following:
Cebu-Mactan Bridge (fourth span) and Coastal Road Construction Project: With an estimated cost of ¥119.225 billion (approximately P56 billion), it involves the construction of a 3.3-kilometer bridge with a 3.385-kilometer elevated viaduct of two lanes per direction, and a 4.9-kilometer, four-lane coastal road with a 4.751-kilometer viaduct, among others.
The span aims to improve the capacity of the existing road network in the island-province and facilitate faster movement of people, goods and services. It will also provide an alternative route connecting central Cebu to the Mactan Economic Zone where many export-oriented industries are located.
Davao City Bypass Construction Project II: Costing ¥34.830 billion (or P17 billion), the project represents the next phase in the construction of a 45.2-kilometer road, together with tunnels and other associated infrastructure, to divert traffic away from Davao City. It will connect the southern tip of the capital to the hub and ease vehicular movement in central Davao.
According to the embassy, these loan projects to be financed by Japan seek to tackle connectivity and traffic-congestion concerns confronting the rapidly developing metropolitan areas of Cebu and Davao. Both form part of the “Build, Build, Build” program. The embassy affirmed Japan’s strong commitment to such.
As a primary driver of economic recovery amid the pandemic, Japan sees these key infrastructures as helpful in stimulating trade, business and job opportunities in the provinces, as well as aiding the spread of growth throughout the Philippines.
Non-project grant aid for the economic and social development program of the Department of Health: Japan is extending up to ¥2 billion (or some P900 million) in grant aid to provide five computed tomography (or CT) scan machines, five x-ray machines, one magnetic-resonance imaging (or MRI) system, 10 hemodialysis machines, and four infectious disease surveillance sites. The equipment is seen to support the DOH’s response to the current pandemic and other health emergencies.
Non-project grant agreement for the economic and social development program of the Sugar Regulatory Administration: Costing ¥800 million (about P377 million), this is a follow-up to the 2001 grant aid farm-mechanization program aided by the Sugar-Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. It will finance, among others, 94 units each of tractors, harrows, whole-stalk sugarcane planters and munchers.
In a statement, the embassy acknowledged the local sugarcane industry as one of the cornerstones of the Philippine economy. The initiative will strengthen the sugar production sector through reduced production costs and increased productivity. More than 84,000 Filipino sugarcane farmers, whose meager sources of income are adversely affected by the pandemic, will benefit from this grant aid.
Japanese Grant Aid for human resource development scholarship (JDS) for 2021: A long-standing program, the project supports two-year Master’s and doctorate courses at prominent Japanese universities for young officials in the Philippine civil service who are seen to potentially assume key leadership roles.
The project will provide ¥337 million (about P159 million) to support 22 young Filipino officials from various governmental institutions as JDS fellows of postgraduate programs starting academic year 2021.
It also aims to enhance the JDS fellows’ expertise in their respective fields and to help build a pool of future Filipino leaders expected to contribute to the country’s overall economic development by returning to and working in the Philippines. Since it started in 2002, a total of 361 Filipino JDS fellows have studied in Japan.
According to the embassy, the exchange of notes “further cements Japan’s status as the Philippines’s top provider of official development assistance for decades, and a vital partner in achieving the country’s development goals.” Last year in Tokyo, President Duterte called Japan the “gold standard” for Philippine development cooperation with foreign partners.
Image credits: Nilo K. Palaya/DFA
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