Honorable Secretary Annabelle Abaya
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Honorable Chairman Rafael Seguis
GRP Peace Panel
Major General Datuk Baharom Bin Hamzah
International Monitoring Team , Head of Mission
Mr. James Macaraya
Board of Director, Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA)
Representatives of recipient Organizations and Schools,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good Morning!
It is a great pleasure for me to join you today in this important occasion. This is the fourth batch of contract s signing for the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development or J-BIRD since its launching in December 2006.
First of all, I am honored to have signed eight (8) grant contracts, amounting to about 730,000 US dollars or about 33 million pesos. These projects consist of construction of three (3) school buildings, two (2) training centers, a potable water supply system, a women-crisis center and upgrad ing of a rural health unit, which are funded through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects.
As of December 2009, 32 grassroots projects were implemented and started to benefit various communities in conflict affected areas in Mindanao. Now the eight new projects are launched and the total number becomes 40. These grassroots projects form part of the unwavering commitment by the Government of Japan to support peace and development efforts in Mindanao.
I am pleased to meet the representatives of the implementing organizations who came all the way from Mindanao to attend this ceremony. I hope that your respective projects will be successfully implemented and eventually benefit local communities.
I would like to take this opportunity to mention Japan's policy for the Mindanao Peace Process that consists of three pillars. The first pillar is, of course, J-BIRD. In addition to the grassroots projects, we have actively engaged in various kinds of economic cooperation projects under J-BIRD. Here, we pledge that all the officials from the Embassy of Japan and the staff from JICA will continue the efforts to contribute to the improvement of people's livelihood in Mindanao.
The second pillar is the dispatch of our socio-economic development experts to the International Monitoring Team (IMT). As you all know, the IMT has recently resumed its mandate. We recognize the resumption of the IMT as one of the most important mechanisms to maintain peace and stability on the ground and as the embodiment of the international community's commitment to the peace process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). To contribute to these efforts, the Government of Japan decided to redeploy two experts, Mr. Tomonori Kikuchi and Mr. Yusuke Mori, to the IMT.
The third pillar is our participation in the International Contact Group (ICG). The ICG was formed last December to perform such roles as giving advice to the parties concerned on the peace process and participating in peace talks as observers. Upon the request from the GRP, the MILF and the Government of Malaysia, Japan decided to take a role in the ICG and has actively engaged in the peace process.
In closing, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the offic ial s and staff of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) who have been our partners since the launching of J-BIRD and have continuously devoted their valuable time and efforts to facilitate the realization of various projects. We sincerely hope that the peace process will finally move forward and rest assured of the Government of Japan's continuous commitment to support efforts of all parties to achieve sustainable peace and development in the region.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Embassy of Japan in the Philippines