Judge Antonina Escovilla, President of Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (MKD)
Members of the board, faculties and administration of MKD,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Maayong hapon kaninyong tanan. (Good afternoon)
On behalf of the Embassy of Japan, I have the pleasure of taking part in the inauguration of the new recording studio with equipment funded under Japan's Grant Aid for Cultural Grassroots Projects.
I am also pleased to be received warmly by President Antonina Escovilla and the members of the board, faculties and administration as well as the student body of Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (MKD).
In February this year, the US$46,675 worth grant for MKD was signed between Ambassador Makoto Katsura and President Antonina Escovilla for the rehabilitation of MKD's Japanese language learning facilities and to develop an e-learning Japanese language program.
We are so impressed and pleased to recognize that not long after the grant was signed, MKD started working to enhance its E-Learning capabilities and to witness that MKD has already rehabilitated an old storage into a new studio where the school's Japanese language E-Learning materials will be developed.
Recording and editing equipment as well as computer software were also purchased with the grant to improve MKD's Japanese language teaching.
We laud MKD's dedication, under the excellent leadership of Judge Escovilla, to provide quality Nihongo learning and education to students and commend its innovative spirit to take advantage of the advances in technology to make Nihongo learning easier to more students with various needs and, indeed, a greater number of people far and wide across Davao and even the rest of Mindanao.
On this memorable occasion, I would like to express our earnest hope that the MKD will continue to expand its commendable thrusts and endeavors to promote Japanese language learning and that through our close cooperation, cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the peoples of the Philippines and Japan will continue to develop.
Thank you very much for your kind attention. Daghang salamat.
Embassy of Japan in the Philippines