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Date Today :
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| PR-BSM-024-2008 |
| 11 April 2008 |
JAPAN BACKS RP’S POVERTY REDUCTION AND PEACE BUILDING MEASURES IN SOUTH
Japan has pledged to deepen its commitment to the peace and development in
Mindanao, by helping the Arroyo government in the conduct of peace building
measures in the Southern
Philippines.
In his speech during the celebration of the 66th Araw ng Kagitingan
last Wednesday in Pilar, Bataan, Japanese Ambassador to the
Philippines Makoto Katsura said
Japan has been one of the Philippines’
biggest investors and one of its largest trading partners since the
last war.
Aside from other countries including the United States, Katsura said
Japan has been helping the Philippine government in its poverty
reduction efforts in Mindanao making the Philippines now the largest
recipient of overseas development assistance (ODA) from Japan.
Aside from the ODA, Ambassador Katsura said Japan, like other
international donors, has been sending experts to help in the
reconstruction and development efforts in the south.
In Bataan, the President thanked Japan, the US and RP’s other allies
for helping in the peace process that include bridging a culture of
peace and security in Mindanao. To sustain the gains of the ongoing
peace process, the President has directed government agencies to
embark on various development programs and peace building
initiatives with the participation of civil society and interfaith
groups. The President recently graced the 2008 Philippines
Development Forum (PDF) in Clark, Pampanga where the international
community renewed its support for the ongoing peace negotiations
between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Among those who attended the forum were the top representatives from
the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID), Australian Agency for
International Development (AusAID) and other international donors
conducting development programs in Mindanao.
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