HON. ENRIQUE ONA
Secretary, Department of Health (DOH)
DR. EDGARDO JAVILLONAR
Chief of Sanitarium III
Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good morning to you all. Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat.
Allow me to start with saying a few words about the unprecedented tragedy that occurred in Japan late last week. In the face of this tremendous devastation, the Japanese government and the people of Japan are working together in solidarity to tackle the unimaginable difficulty, including rescuing survivors and reconstructing life-lines. In this united efforts of the entire nation, we have seen the outpouring of heartfelt messages and kind offers of assistance from so many countries around the world, and the Philippines is, of course, one of those nations who expressed a strong and firm message and offer of support at a very early stage. Let me reiterate once again on this occasion sincere appreciation from the government and the people of Japan to our friendly neighbor and long-standing partner, the Philippines.
Now let me turn to the project before us. I am very proud to be able to witness today the fruit of the partnership between the Government of Japan and Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital. It is an honor for the Government and people of Japan to have an opportunity to assist the respectable efforts of this hospital.
This project aims to upgrade this hospital's physical therapy equipment, especially for patients who are suffering from physical paralysis, including those who suffer from so-called “Hansen's Disease.”. The equipment for their rehabilitation will greatly contribute to the physical recovery of patients suffering from these physical paralysis.
Japan has always considered health as a highly important field of humanitarian assistance because of its direct impact on the lives of individuals. In the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Summit held last September, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced “Kan Commitment” that included the assistance of 5 billion dollars in the health sector in the five years commencing in 2011. We hope we can extend our assistance to the Philippines, based on this commitment, too. This kind of assistance in the health sector is also important in the light of ensuring “human security.” The concept of “human security” is one of the major pillars of Japan's diplomacy which aims to empower vulnerable people to protect themselves from various threats, including the threats against the lives and health of people. We will continue to develop and implement various projects under this concept of “human securtity” that directly benefit the grass-roots level people.
I would also like to briefly refer to Japan's efforts on the issue of the discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members. For many years in the past, Japan has tackled the issue of leprosy, or “Hansen's Disease,” not only to eradicate it from the surface of the world as a disease, but also to eradicate discrimination associated with the disease based on the prejudice and misconception. Lately, the resolutions on “Elimination of Discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy and their Family Members,” under the main sponsorship of the Japanese Government, have been adopted for three consecutive years commencing in 2008 at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. In December 2010, the resolution was also unanimously adopted at the plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Through the activities mandated by these resolutions, the “Principles and guidelines for the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members” are also developed for requesting and encouraging governments and other actors to act for resolving the issue of prejudice and discrimination stemming from misinformation about and misunderstanding of the disease.
In closing, let me express our firm conviction that this project will be another testimony and milestone of the friendship between the peoples of the Philippines and Japan, which further fosters a strategic partnership between our two countries towards the future .
Maraming salamat at mabuhay.
Embassy of Japan in the Philippines