Honorable Governor Jericho Carlos Petilla
Province of Leyte
Honorable Mayor Roque Andrade Tiu
Municipality of Tanauan
Dr. Minerva P. Molon
Assistant Regional Director, Department of Health- Region VIII
Mr. Masafumi Nagaishi
JICA Senior Representative
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Maupay Nga Kulop (Good afternoon)!
First of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the warm welcome you have extended to me and my colleagues. This is my first time to visit Leyte and I am really impressed by its beauty. Here we can see abundant natural resources like vast forests and coastal areas. This trip will certainly become one of the most memorable ones since I was posted here in the Philippines.
It is a great pleasure for me to join you today in this turn-over ceremony. The improvement of basic health services is among the priorities of Japan's official development assistance to the Philippines. This projects you have completed this time can contribute to reduction of infant mortality and maternal mortality rates. We are hoping that a lot of mothers will deliver babies in safety at this reliable and affordable birthing facility.
I am therefore glad that the Government and the people of Japan had an opportunity to support your efforts through the Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP). Now we can see a new building with a birthing facility and also medical equipment for its operation.
We hope that this project would help the Philippine Government achieve two of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, which are to reduce by two-thirds the mortality rate among children under five and to reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality ratio.
It is commendable that Mayor Tiu takes his responsibility in providing basic health services for people in this municipality. Let me also congratulate the talented staff members of the Municipality of Tanauan as well as Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) Rei Fukuda, who have contributed to the successful completion of this project. I count on your harmonized and steadfast support to maximize the utilization and maintenance of the birthing facility and equipment.
Finally, I sincerely hope that this project would further strengthen the strategic partnership and foster stronger friendship between the Philippines and Japan.
Salamat po sa inyong atensyon! (Thank you very much for your attention!)
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Embassy of Japan in the Philippines