Japan, PH conclude 11th high-level meet
(Clockwise from left) Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Dr. Izumi Hiroto, Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko and Local Government Minister of Bangsamoro Naguib Sinarimbo Photo: The Manila Times
Top-ranking officials from the governments of Japan and the Philippines convened online on July 28 for the 11th meeting of the Japan-Philippines High-Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation.
In attendance from the Japanese side were Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Dr. Izumi Hiroto, Special Advisor to the Cabinet Kiyama Shigeru, Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko and other high-level Japanese officials. Meanwhile, the Philippine side, was represented by an esteemed roster of Cabinet Secretaries and senior officials from national government agencies as co-chaired by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua.
Both sides recognized the significant strides achieved in ongoing joint infrastructure projects and pandemic-response cooperation measures resulting from the high-level joint committee meetings held in the past few years. Some of which include the Metro Manila Subway rolling stock contract signing, LRT-2 extension, Parañaque Spillway Flood Control Feasibility Study, Covid-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan, Post-Disaster Standby Loan Phase 2, AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine provision, and cold chain facility development for the vaccination rollout.
In his remarks, Dr. Izumi gladly welcomed the fact that the one trillion yen public and private financing commitment to the Philippines made by former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in 2017 has now been fulfilled in less than five years, with the signing of the Exchange of Notes for the second phase of the Metro Manila Subway Project on July 27. This momentous milestone is in time for the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines this year.
The High-Level Joint Committee Meeting between Japan and the Philippines has been conducted biannually since the start of the Duterte Administration. It serves as a good venue for both countries to take stock of the progress made in accordance with the “Joint Statement on Bilateral Cooperation for the Next Five Years” issued in October 2017.
Source: The Manila Times