Honorable Hadja Sambai Salik Suwait
Department of Social Welfare and Development
Honorable Country Director and Representative Stephen Anderson
United Nation's World Food Programme
Chief Representative Norio Matsuda
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippines
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalam Alay Kum. ( Peace be with you all. )
Good morning.
It is my great pleasure to join you all in this press briefing for the Food Aid Programme for the Conflict-Affected Population in Mindanao.
The Government of Japan is pleased to complement the initiatives of the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) and its unwavering efforts to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Mindanao by addressing the food security needs of vulnerable people in conflict affected areas.
I commend the WFP for its continued support to help mitigate the humanitarian crisis affecting the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in this Region.
Since the return of the WFP to the Philippines in 2006, the Japanese Government has jointly implemented with WFP a food aid package for IDPs in conflict affected areas in Mindanao. This latest assistance of 8,160 metric tons of rice is the largest contribution of Japan to WFP to be provided to IDPs in the form of immediate and direct food assistance. I trust this latest support will serve as a vital intervention for the most vulnerable people in Mindanao.
For more than a decade, Japan has implemented a variety of projects for peace and development in Mindanao. For example, under the Non-Project Grant Assistance Project on Personal Computers for Public Schools Project (PCPS4), Japan has recently decided to provide ten desktop computers and peripherals for use of 425 public high school beneficiaries in Mindanao. The Mindanao component of the PCPS aims to address the needs of basic education by providing computers to public high schools for Muslim students.
Finally, the Government of Japan welcomes the Government's Suspension of Military Offensives and the MILF's Suspension of Military Actions, which were announced last month, and hopes for an early resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Philippines and MILF. In order to foster a strategic partnership in the future with the Philippines, we will continue to assist all efforts at achieving lasting peace and stability in Mindanao.
Thank you for your attention. Mabuhay! ( Cheers! )
Embassy of Japan in the Philippines