On September 29, Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura attended the “Islam, Childhoods, and Building Cultures of Peace Conference in Southeast Asia” at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, to deliver a special lecture on “Japan's Assistance to the Mindanao Peace Efforts,” reiterating Japan's continued commitment to assisting Mindanao peace efforts under the Aquino administration.
In his speech, Ambassador Katsura mentioned that Japan, as the Philippines' strategic partner sharing fundamental values such as democracy, freedom, and human rights, and as the top ODA donor to the Philippines, is firmly committed to extending assistance to Mindanao peace building efforts. In addition, he explained that Japan extends assistance for Mindanao upon request from the Philippines since it has no intention to interfere in domestic affairs of the Philippines, and just aims to create positive atmosphere for the peace process through Japan's assistance.
Ambassador Katsura also explained that there are three (3) pillars of Japan's assistance for Mindanao. He mentioned that the first pillar is the J-BIRD (Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development), which was launched in 2006 and is designed to contribute to the peace process and development in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao through its economic cooperation. He explained that under the J-BIRD, 40 projects had already been implemented as Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), including school buildings, water supply facilities, and health facilities.
As the second pillar, he explained that Japan had been dispatching JICA experts to the IMT (International Monitoring Team) since 2006. The Japanese experts to IMT work in the socio-economic development aspect of the IMT, including assessment of needs for reconstruction and development and also formulation of ODA projects.
Finally, as the third pillar, he touched upon Japan's role in ICG (International Contact Group) which was established in 2009 to give advice to the parties concerned on the Mindanao Peace Process.
In the Q&A session after Ambassador Katsura's speech, several participants of the conference asked him questions about Japan's policy on Mindanao while expressing their appreciation for Japan's consistent support for Mindanao.
