Duterte’s Japan agenda: infrastructure, Marawi rebuild

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s visit to Japan next week will tackle issues like infrastructure development, Marawi reconstruction, and security and counter-terrorism, officials said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced earlier this week Mr. Duterte’s three-day working visit to Japan on Oct. 29-31.

“We note that the Philippines and Japan’s interests converge on many points, in the political, economic, sociocultural, and people-to-people fronts, and we are committed to further strengthening our cooperation on these many areas in the bilateral, regional, and UN levels,” DFA Spokesperson Robespierre L. Bolivar said in a press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday.

The visit will be Mr. Duterte’s second in a year.

In the same press briefing, Japan’s Deputy Chief of Mission to Manila Takihiro Kano said that the visit on Sunday “will build upon past achievements… to further enhance cooperation for the peace and stability of the region as strategic partners.”

“I cannot prejudge the details or outcome of the two leaders’ summit next week. But we would expect that based upon the past talks, some of the concrete projects or cooperation would be forthcoming,” he added.

Last year, Mr. Duterte paid his first visit to Japan on the invitation of Prime Minister Shizo Abe.

In January, when Mr. Abe visited the Philippines, Japan pledged ¥1 trillion or about P400 billion worth of investment and development aid to the Philippines over the next five years.

Among the Japan-backed projects are the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), connecting Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The project will start construction next year.

Japan is also committed to help the government rebuild Marawi City.

“I think there are various kinds of needs such as the reconstruction of the communities or human resources and getting the people back to communities and so forth,” Mr. Kano said.

Pending the needs assessment and information provided by the Philippine government, the Japanese government is looking into ways on how to help the Philippines rebuild the city.

“So far, we have already provided some humanitarian assistance with the international organizations. But now, we are in a different phase. And then we are in close contact with the Philippine government,” he added. – Rosemarie A. Zamora