Speaker Romualdez: Visit will broaden Japan, PH ties

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez looks forward to a possible Philippine visit of Japanese legislators saying this would serve to further broaden the long-standing good relations between the two countries.

This developed after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. invited members of the Japanese parliament to visit the Philippines during the meeting of the Japan-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship League (JPPFL) held Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

The President said a visit to the Philippines would accord the Japanese lawmakers the opportunity to personally witness the positive results of the various assistance program provided by the Japanese government to the Filipino people.

“I really hope our friends from the Japanese Parliament could visit us in the Philippines as this would go a long way to further deepen the mutually-beneficial bilateral relations that the two countries have nurtured over the past decades,” Romualdez said.

“It would likewise provide a venue for us to exchange ideas on the best parliamentary practices as well as innovative approaches to the common challenges facing our respective countries amid present developments in the region and the world,” he added.

Apart from Romualdez, among the Filipino lawmakers who attended the JPPFL were former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri; Special Assistant to the President, Secretary Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo Jr.; and Senator Mark Villar.

Led by Japanese House of Representatives Chairman Moriyama Hiroshi, other Japanese lawmakers that participated in the JPPFL were Vice Chairmen Okuno Shinsuke, Takemi Keizo and Nakagawa Masaharu.

Romualdez hopes a visit by the Japanese lawmakers could be arranged to happen in July this year, coinciding with the celebration of the 67th anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan.

“That would be the best time for the visit of our Japanese friends as it would lend symbolic significance to another milestone in our bilateral relations. But if that is not possible, they would be most welcome anytime,” Romualdez said.

“One thing is sure, they can expect to receive the famous Filipino hospitality to reciprocate the warm reception they gave us, along with the successful formalization of agreements on various areas of mutual cooperation, during President Marcos’ working visit to Japan,” he added.

It could be recalled that on Thursday, the two countries signed in Tokyo seven key agreements, witnessed by President Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, covering areas such as humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, infrastructure, agriculture and digital cooperation.

These agreements include the Exchange of Notes on Japanese Official Development Project: North-South Commuter Railway Extension (NSCR) Project (II); Exchange of Notes on Japanese Official Development Project: NSCR-Malolos to Tutuban Project (II); Loan Agreement for the NSCR Extension Project (II); Loan Agreement for the NSCR-Malolos to Tutuban Project (II); Umbrella Term of Reference on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Cooperation.

A memorandum of cooperation (MOC) between the Department of Agriculture and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Agriculture Cooperation; and an MOC in the Field of Information and Communications Technology were also among the agreements signed during the event.

Apart from meeting key Japanese government officials during his five-day working visit to Tokyo, President Marcos would meet with top Japanese business leaders to promote the Philippines as an ideal destination for direct foreign investments.