13th Meeting of the Japan–Philippines High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation

On the morning of November 4, 2022, the thirteenth meeting of the Japan–Philippines High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation was held in Manila, Philippines.  The meeting was chaired by Dr. Mori Masafumi, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, on the Japanese side; and by Hon. Benjamin E. Diokno, Secretary of Finance, on the Philippine side. The overview of the meeting is as follows:
 
1.  At the outset, the two sides welcomed the fact that the Joint Committee continues to be held under the Marcos administration and that the cooperation projects are making steady progress. The Japanese side conveyed its intention to render dynamic support, through this Joint Committee, for the Philippines' endeavour to become an upper middle income country and its "Build, Better, More" programme with ODA and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects.
 
2.  Specifically, the two sides confirmed steady progress of bilateral cooperation projects in relation to the Philippine government's development agenda including infrastructure development in three major metropolitan areas including railways, coast guard capabilities enhancement, and the Mindanao peace process.  The two sides also concurred to promote cooperation in such fields as regional development including in Subic and Clark, information and communications, energy transitions, and disaster risk management.
 
3.  The Japanese side expressed its intention to provide loans to the scale of JPY 377 billion for the development of the North–South Commuter Railway project.  In response, the Philippine side expressed deep gratitude for Japan's "Fast & Sure" implementation of assistance, most notably in the railway sector.
 
4.  The two sides shared their commitment to continuing close coordination through this Joint Committee for the purpose of further deepening the Strategic Partnership between Japan and the Philippines on the economic front as well through specific cooperation projects.
 
[Reference] Japan-Philippines High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation
 
On his visit to the Philippines in January 2017, then Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announced Japan’s commitment to ODA and private-sector investment, and to establish a High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation in order to monitor the implementation of cooperation projects in public-private partnership.