NONTHABURI, Thailand — President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would be meeting Monday to likely discuss the administration’s infrastructure projects.
According to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, the two leaders would possibly focus their talks on infrastructure projects that are proposed for financing from Japan.
Their bilateral discussion would be held on the sideline of the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Bangkok.
“I am not sure if there are new initiatives but most likely they will confirm that we are on the right track and we will confirm the projects that the projects will push through and the financing from Japan is available,” Dominguez said in a press briefing here.
Dominguez said the Philippines’ economic team has been keeping in touch with their Japanese counterparts to discuss the implementation of projects.
“But essentially our relations with Japan for our infrastructure projects are on track and we make sure of that by regularly scheduled meetings between the economic team in the Philippines and the Office of the Prime Minister of Japan,” Dominguez said.
“We meet with them every two or four months. In fact, our next meeting is scheduled for December. We meet once in the Philippines and once in Japan. And this type of coordination has accelerated the approvals of the projects and the implementation of the projects,” he added.
The Japanese government has constantly shown support to the Duterte administration’s ambitious multi-trillion infrastructure “Build, Build, Build” program.
Last June, the Japanese government’s aid arm Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) pledged to lend about P620 billion to build more railways and ease traffic congestion in the country. /kga
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