MANILA, Philippines – Magbibigay ang bansang Japan sa Pilipinas ng public-private assistance para suportahan ang kampanya ng bansa na maging upper-middle income country sa 2025.
Sa documents exchange ceremony kasama ang mga opisyal ng Pilipinas at Japan sa Prime Minister’s Office, sinabi ni Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida na nagbukas ang economic development ng Pilipinas ng big economic opportunities sa parehong bansa.
Nagkaroon naman ng pag-uusap sina Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Kishida ukol sa “bilateral cooperation on economy, security and defense, at people-to-people exchange.”
Muli namang pinagtibay ang mas pinalalim na pagtutulungan ng dalawang bansa.
“To support the Economic Development Plan of the Philippines to become an upper-middle-income country and conveyed that by March 2024, public-private assistance of 600 billion yen will be provided,” ang wika ni Kishida.
“As a part of it, exchange of notes just took place on rail development,” dagdag na pahayag nito.
Sa ilalim ng updated standards ng World Bank, ang upper middle-income economy o bansa ay dapat na mayroong gross national income (GNI) per capita sa pagitan ng $4,046 at $12,535.
Taong 2019, ang Pilipinas ay nasa kategoryang lower-middle income country na may GNI per capita sa pagitan ng $1,006 at $3,955.
Makikita naman sa data mula sa Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) na ang GNI per capita ng bansa ay pumalo sa P182,438 ($3,300) noong 2021, mas mataas sa naabot ng pandemic year 2020 dahil mayroon lamang itong P177,546 ($3,200) subalit nananatiling mababa kaysa sa pre-pandemic GNI per capita na P200,135 ($3,600) noong 2019.
Sa kabilang dako, kapuwa naman tinintahan ng Pilipinas at Japan ang pitong kasunduan hinggil sa mutual cooperation sa larangan ng humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, infrastructure, agriculture, at digital cooperation.
Ang 7 kasunduan na pinirmahan ng dalawang bansa ay ang:
“Exchange of Notes sa Japanese Official Development Project: North-South Commuter Railway Extension (NSCR) Project; Exchange of Notes sa Japanese Official Development Project: NSCR – Malolos to Tutuban Project ; Loan Agreement para sa NSCR Extension Project; Loan Agreement para sa NSCR – Malolos to Tutuban Project; Umbrella Term of Reference (TOR) on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Cooperation; memorandum of cooperation (MOC) sa pagitan ng Department of Agriculture (DA) at Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Agriculture Cooperation; at isang MOC sa larangan ng Field of Information and Communications Technology.”
Si Pangulong Marcos ay kasalukuyang nasa Tokyo ngayon oara sa kanyang 5-day official visit.
“The Prime Minister and I have agreed to cooperate even more closely in areas of economic cooperation, security and defense cooperation, maritime security and safety, healthcare mechanisms, environmental commitments, and people-to-people exchanges,” ang pahayag ni Pangulong Marcos sa nasabing seremonya.
“Furthermore, there are cultural cooperation, regional peace initiatives, and nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, amongst others,” aniya pa rin.
“The future of our relationship remains full of promise, as we continue to deepen and expand our engagements across a wide range of mutually beneficial cooperation,” dagdag na pahayag nito. Kris Jose
