Embassy of Japan's Minister for Economic Affairs Akio Isomata and Mayor Evelyn T. Uy with one of the ambulances donated by the Government of Japan to address the shortage of ambulances in Dipolog City. |
Minister for Economic Affairs , Akio Isomata , of the Embassy of Japan attended the turnover ceremony of the project entitled “ Donation of Ambulances and Fire Truck to the Province of Zamboanga del Norte .” The ceremony was held on 14 April 2011 at Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte.
Th is project, amounting to a total of ¥547,970 (approximately 300,000 pesos), was implemented by the Japanese NGO, Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (OISCA) and funded by the Government of Japan through the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects under Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA).
Dipolog City, with a population of approximately 110,000, had only one ambulance prior to this project . One ambulance was not enough to provide appropriate services for the residents. It is considered that death of 50 to 60 people per year was attributed to the lack of an ambulance available. On the other hand, the M unicipality of Piñan, with a population of approximately 19,000 , also faced a shortage of ambulances. Although the municipal government owned one ambulance prior to the project, it was not used anymore due to its dilapidated and non-functioning condition.
Dipolog City did not possess the sufficient number of fire trucks, either. At the city, around 30 fire cases occurred in 2009, but the city government could not properly respond to them because it owned only one fire truck.
Under the project, two ambulances and a fire truck were donated to Dipolog City while an ambulance was donated to the M unicipality of Piñan. This project aims to enhance the capability of Dipolog City and the M unicipality of Piñan in responding to emergencies by utilizing these vehicles. Three ambulances and a fire truck were donated by Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and the transportation cost of these ambulances and fire truck, as well as other related costs, were born by the fund extended by the grant assistance under the Japanese ODA.
Minister Isomata stated in his speech that “w ith these vehicles, I believe that tha local authorities will be able to attend to emergencies more effectively, save more lives and better prevent the destruction of propert ies and livelihoods, and thus enhance the human security of the local people.”
The Government of Japan, as the top ODA donor for the Philippines, launched t he Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects in 2002 to promote more effective and efficient aid for developing countries by enhanc ing the cooperation between the Government of Japan and NGOs in the ODA implementation. Since then, 24 projects have been implemented by the scheme in the Philippines and the total amount of grant through these projects adds up to ¥ 261,428,505 (approximately 140 million pesos). Japan believes that this project will not only strengthen friendship between the peoples of Japan and the Philippines but also contribute to fostering a strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines towards the future.
Speech of Minister Akio Isomata
Japanese Version
