Photo credit: PCO, RTVM

CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) –President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is returning Sunday evening, February 12 bringing with him significant gains for the country.

Both President Marcos and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida witnessed the signing of the following Philippine and Japan agreements:

1. Exchange of Notes on Japanese Official Development Project: North-South Commuter Railway Extension (NSCR) Project (II);

2. Exchange of Notes on Japanese Official Development Project: NSCR - Malolos to Tutuban Project (II);

3. Loan Agreement for the NSCR Extension Project (II);

4. Loan Agreement for the NSCR- Malolos to Tutuban Project (II);

5. Umbrella Term of Reference (TOR) on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Cooperation;

6. Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Agriculture Cooperation;

7. Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in the Field of Information and Communications Technology.

President Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Kishida both also agreed on the need to attain a free and open Indo-Pacific is another good development.

The enhanced security and defense cooperation between Japan and the Philippines could defuse tensions or potential conflicts in the West Philippine Sea, a political analyst, Dr. Froilan Calilung of the University of Santo Tomas’ Department of Political Science said during a media forum Saturday.

He also noted the country could also benefit from Japan’s expertise in humanitarian and disaster resilience management.

“The good thing about the security and defense cooperation with Japan is that the Philippines can learn from Japan in terms of managing and handling disasters,” Calilung said.

In the same media forum, International Chamber of Commerce Philippines (ICCPhil) Director General Jesus Varela said as far as Japan is concerned, the President’s working visit produced more than investment pledges because Japan already has strong presence in the Philippines, providing Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Japanese companies engaging in the fields of mining, steel, car manufacturing, information technology (IT), infrastructure, energy, manpower and training.

The ICC Philippines has been a recipient of a number of proposals from a number of businessmen in the field of waste water management, healthcare, biofuel, mineral processing and technology transfer, according to Varela.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported it is tracking investment pledges of about $10 billion or around P500 billion to P550 billion.

President Marcos, accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, was granted a Royal Audience with Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Thursday, February 9, wherein he extended an invitation for the royal couple to visit the Philippines.

The President will meet with Filipino community in Japan before flying home Sunday night. (pia-ncr)