His Excellency SECRETARY ALBERTO G. ROMULO,
Honorable ADMINISTRATOR PRISCO D. NILO,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
At the outset, I would like to renew my sincere condolences on the loss of many lives and enormous damage caused by the series of typhoons in the Philippines. I would also like to extend my heartfelt sympathy to more than a million displaced people due to these disasters and my best wishes for the speedy recovery from suffering of the affected people.
Today, it is a great honor for me to sign and exchange, with Your Excellency Secretary Alberto Romulo, Notes on the Japanese Grant Aid for the Project for Improvement of the Meteorological Radar System.
This project, which amounts to 3.35 Billion yen (approximately 1.74 billion pesos), is expected to effectively minimize and prevent damages that tropical cyclones and other severe weather phenomena may cause, by enhancing the capability of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to disseminate weather monitoring and weather information/warning.
The project includes the installation of meteorological data display systems, the establishment of data satellite communication systems, and the replacement of the three (3) existing Meteorological Radar Systems in Aparri, Cagayan; Virac, Catanduanes; and Guian, Samar with Doppler Radar Systems.
Moreover, this project complements all the other emergency assistance and relief operation supported by Government of Japan for the victims of t wo recent typhoons.
As an immediate response to the calamity, Japan swiftly delivered emergency relief goods last September 30th, amounting to approximately 220,000 US dollars (approximately 10 million pesos), to the Philippine Government.
This was followed on October 9th by the decision to provide food assistance amounting to 4.5 million US dollars (approximately 210 million pesos) through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), a direct response to the UN Flash Appeal announced on October 3rd. This food assistance accounts for approximately 17% of the funding requested for the WFP initiative (about 26.4 million US dollars) announced in the appeal.
Moreover, on October 7th, Japan Platform (JPF), a humanitarian aid organization composed of Japanese NGOs, and commercial and government institutions, decided to contribute up to 100 million yen (approximately 50 million pesos), of which the Government of Japan covers a substantial part. To date, eight (8) JPF member-NGOs have dispatched missions to various areas affected by the calamities.
Further assistance was also made on October 16th, when the Japanese Government decided to assist Christian Aid through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGP). In this project, packs of food and non-food items with a total amount of US$92,780 (approximately 4.4 million pesos) have been distributed to 3,200 households or approximately 19,000 people in Barangay Bagong Silangan, Quezon City and three villages in the Municipality of Montalban, Rizal Province.
We hope that these projects will assist the victims of these calamities, and support and strengthen the disaster mitigation efforts of the Philippine Government.
As a close friend and neighbor, Japan will continuously support typhoon victims to reconstruct and improve the living environment in the Philippines. In closing, I would like to express my sincere hope that these projects will further strengthen the cooperative ties and friendship that Japan and the Philippines have built through the years.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Embassy of Japan in the Philippines