THE Government of Japan on Monday signed a grant contract amounting to US$184,042 (approximately P10 million) for the construction of rainwater tanks in Bohol.

Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koshikawa Kazuhiko signed the grant contract for the project titled “The Construction of Rainwater Tanks to Provide Safe Water Supply and Sanitary Education to Prevent Infectious Diseases in Bohol with Frequent Droughts” with Japanese non-governmental organization (NGO) “Ikaw-Ako.”

It will be funded under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects.

With few large rivers in the rural areas of Bohol, residents struggle daily to access safe water.

The project aims to improve the health and sanitation conditions of the locals in the rural areas of Bohol by constructing water supply systems that reuse rainwater, establishing a management network for it, and providing hygiene education.

The Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects started in the Philippines in 2002.

Since then, the Japanese Government has made contracts for 58 projects in the Philippines under this scheme, amounting to approximately 1.6 billion JPY (approximately P645.6 million) in total.

Japan believes that this project will not only strengthen the friendship between the peoples of the Philippines and Japan but also bolster the existing strategic partnership between the two countries.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Cristina Lee-Pisco