Japan pledges Y25B for Mindanao dev’t

FILE- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. AFP PHOTO / POOL / Toshifumi KITAMURA AND TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged Y25 billion for the development of Mindanao.

“I am grateful for Japan’s fresh commitment of around Y25 billion for the development of Mindanao’s road network, vocational training facilities and equipment, and other projects,” President Rodrigo Duterte said during his joint press statement with Abe here.

Duterte said “Japan’s comprehensive development assistance is nothing short of exemplary in quality and concessionality.”

“It is the gold standard for the Philippines’ development cooperation with partner countries,” he said.

The President also thanked Japan for reaffirmation of support for my government’s flagship Build, Build, Build program.

Aside from investments, Duterte said he and Abe talked about regional maritime security during their bilateral meeting.

“We discussed modalities for greater cooperation in upgrading the Philippines’ defense capabilities, including in maritime security and maritime domain awareness,” he said.

“We discussed challenges to regional maritime security, non-traditional threats, ongoing efforts to secure peace in the Korean Peninsula, and supporting free trade, and advancing the rule of law,” he added.