PRIME MINISTER’S ARRIVAL. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Madam Akie Abe arrive at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City on Thursday evening, Jan. 12, 2015. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport here Thursday night as part of his two-day state visit in the country.
Abe will be the first head of state to visit the country under the term of President Rodrigo Duterte. He is also the first leader that Duterte will receive in Davao as president.
Abe was accompanied by his wife, Madame Akie Abe. Davao region officials who received them included Davao del Norte Governor Antonio del Rosario and Compostela Valley Governor Tyron Uy, Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang, Davao Occidental Governor Claude Bautista and Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas.
Madam Akie Abe is scheduled to visit Mintal Japanese Cemetery in Barangay Mintal Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Prime Minister and Pres. Duterte will be meeting with Filipino and Japanese businessmen at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao City before departing around noon time Friday. He will also be gracing a ceremony where he will name an eagle.
In a press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday afternoon, Abe said he chose the Philippines as his first destination of his overseas visits this year to demonstrate that he “place much emphasis on my relationship with President Duterte and with the Philippines.”
This will be the third time that the two state leaders met.
The first was during the ASEAN leaders meeting in Laos in September last year. Duterte also visited Tokyo in October last year.
Japan Press Secretary Yasuhisa Kawamura said in a press briefing in Malacañang that Abe is looking forward to visit Davao City, the hometown of the first Mindanawon president.
Kawamura said Abe’s visit to Davao City represents the strong ties of the two countries.
“So this represents how our two countries are close in terms of spiritual, mental relations,” he said, describing it as an “eloquent reflection of existing confidence, trust between the two leaders.”
Duterte also described Japan as a “friend unlike any other.”
Support to ASEAN
Abe’s visit to the Philippines came a few days before the launching of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit which the Philippines will host. The ASEAN 2017 launching is set at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang here on Sunday, Jan. 15.
Abe vowed that Japan will provide maximum support to the East Asia summit and the ASEAN related meetings.
“This year the Philippines will have the chairmanship of the ASEAN which celebrates its 50th anniversary. We support the ASEAN and its attempt to strengthen unity and centrality and to develop as a free and open community,” he said.
Japan-PHL partnership
The two countries exchanged notes and signed agreements including the grant aid of 600 million yen for the acquisition of high-peed boats and other counterterror equipment for the Phlippine Coast Guard.
Japan and the Philippines also signed a memorandum of cooperation on the low carbon growth partnership joint crediting mechanism which involves the creation of a joint committee to establish the basis by which the two countries will “promote investments and the use of technologies, product systems, services and infrastructures to achieve low carbon growth in the Philippines.”
The other agreements signed include: a memorandum of cooperation was also signed between the Japanese and Philippines coast guards to promote maritime safety, security and marine environment protection; memorandum of cooperation between the Philippines communications operations office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication of Japan for the proof of concept and testing of road traffic information system through data broadcasting; and a loan agreement and guarantee letter for harnessing agribusiness opportunities.
Mindanao’s peace and development
The visit of the Prime Minister also highlighted Japan’s support for the peace and development in Mindanao.
Duterte said during their meeting peace and development in the Southern Philippines “continue to be a priority for our countries.”
“We both reaffirmed the need to ramp up efforts to bring just and lasting peace and development in Mindanao,” he said in his speech in Malacañang on Thursday.
Abe announced that there is now a go signal to study the urban development and the flood control of Davao City.
Kawamura pegged the ODA (Official Development Assistance) fund of Japan to the Philippines at $20 billion since it started in 1954.
Kawamura added that Japan is the Philippines top donor with 50 percent of the ODA comes from Japan.
‘Two-way street’
But Kawamura said Abe underlined the importance of cooperation between the two countries.
“This is a two way street. This is not just one way of inflow of investments, of money from Japan,”he said.
Kawamura said in order to have “a very effective and comprehensive development of the Philippine economy,” the Philippines should keep a business-friendly environment.
“So we very much appreciate if the PH, the officials and the private sectors understand this point and cooperate with us,” he said. (With a report by Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)
