Zubiri: Sponsorship: Resolution No. 703
July 31, 2023
Zubiri: Sponsorship: Resolution No. 703
31 July 2023
Today, ladies and gentlemen, I stand here to sponsor Proposed Senate Resolution No. 703, authored and co-authored by all 24 members of the Senate, which celebrates the longstanding friendship between the National Diet of Japan and the Congress of the Philippines. We also honor our counterparts who are here today, the Japan-Philippines Parliamentarians Friendship League headed by its distinguished Presidentand our dear friend, the Honorable Moriyama Hiroshi.
Last July 23, the Philippines and Japan marked 67 years of formal diplomatic relations. Indeed, the relationship between the Philippines and Japan is a prime example of the power of reconciliation and the triumph of friendship.
For the last six decades, both the Philippines and Japan have extensively cooperated on many areas: in trade and investments, infrastructure building, agricultural development, energy cooperation, health promotion, disaster preparedness, tourism as well as people-to-people exchanges, among others.
Our relations with Japan have blossomed into one of the regions' closest partnerships, which have been truly mutually beneficial for both countries. Japan is our country's second largest trading partner, with bilateral trade with Japan reaching more than US$23.5 billion in 2022. This achievement is a result of the Philippines' first bilateral Free Trade Agreement, through the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, or PJEPA, which was concurred in by the Philippine Senate on October 8, 2008, by then-Senate President Manny Villar.
That was a very memorable day for me, Mr. President, because I was going to give a talk on a clean fuels program in Singapore that day. I had just flown out to go to Singapore to give the talk, and later in the afternoon I was called by Senate President Villar, saying, "We might not have the numbers to complete the sixteen votes."
And so I took the next plane out, I cancelled my talk in the conference in Singapore, and I went straight here. I arrived at 7:30 in the evening, just to vote on PJEPA. I was the sixteenth vote, and [without that] last vote, we would not have been able to ratify that very important, very strategic partnership with Japan.
As our top bilateral official development assistance partner as well, Japan's projects in infrastructure development, disaster risk mitigation, food security, health, maritime safety, and peace and development in Mindanao has helped create jobs and helped uplift the lives of many of our countrymen.
I want to make special mention that during the time of Senate President Koko Pimentel, Japan was very instrumental in helping us pursue the peace process in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Mr. President, the Philippines and Japan are not just ordinary country partners. We are strategic partners who share the principles and aspirations of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.
In this regard, we are very glad to know that Japan stands with the Philippines in maintaining a stable regional order to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific. Japan has also reaffirmed, on numerous occasions, its unwavering support for the Philippines and its decision to uphold the Permanent Court of Arbitration's (PCA) arbitral ruling on the South China Sea Arbitration.
This, undoubtedly, is the action of an ally and a true friend.
In light of their importance to the Philippines, Japan was among the first countries President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. visited in the first year of his administration. This representation was privileged to join the President's Delegation last February, and I personally witnessed significant developments in our strategic partnership where 7 new Bilateral Agreements were signed and US$13 billion dollars' worth of investments were pledged. We saw also the strengthening of our defense and security cooperation relationship, with greater resolve.
In view of our longstanding and burgeoning relations, we have been honored to be visited by the JPPFL, under the present leadership of its distinguished President, the Honorable Moriyama Hiroshi, who we are honored to have with us today in our Senate.
He is accompanied by the Honorable OKUNO Shinsuke, JPPFL Vice-President; the Honorable OTSUKA Taku, JPPFL Secretary General; the Honorable MIYAUCHI Hideki, JPPFL Executive Director; and the Honorable AOYAMA Yamato, JPPFL Deputy Secretary General. Of course, our dear friend, His Excellency KOSHIKAWA Kazuhiko, Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines, is also with the Delegation, as well as the Honorable Mylene Garcia-Albano, our Philippine Ambassador to Japan. I welcome them warmly to our Senate.
We consider our parliamentary relations with Japan as the most robust and most dynamic among all our international colleagues, which accurately reflects our excellent state of bilateral relations.
Since 1987, our Filipino and Japanese lawmakers have held frequent exchanges and frank and substantive dialogue and discussions through our respective parliamentary friendship associations, the Philippine-Japan Parliamentarians Association which I currently chair, and the JPPFL.
Sadly, however, our exchanges were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is why as soon as pandemic restrictions were eased, a delegation from this Chamber traveled to Tokyo last April to symbolize that Filipino Senators are once again ready to engage with our Japanese counterparts and bolster the agreements and achievements of the visit of President Marcos in February.
Mr. President, it was an honor for me to lead this Delegation. And this trip was probably one of the most successful that the Senate has had in a while--we were not only able to meet with members of the Japanese Diet, as well as the upper chamber of Japan, including the Prime Minister of Japan.
Mr. President, I was accompanied by our colleagues, Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Deputy Majority Leaders JV Ejercito and Mark Villar, our Foreign Relations Committee Chair, Sen. Imee Marcos, as well as with Sen. Pia Cayetano, Sen. Lito Lapid, Sen. Sonny Angara, Sen. Nancy Binay, Sen. Grace Poe and Sen. Win Gatchalian. Our Delegation was ably assisted by the men and women of our Embassy in Tokyo, headed by our Ambassador Mylene GarciaAlbano.
During our visit, the Delegation gained a deeper understanding of Japan's national security outlook and defense strategy from top officials of the National Security Secretariat and Ministry of Defense. We also held productive discussions with the President of the House of Councillors of Japan, the Honorable OTSUJI Hidehisa, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honorable HOSODA Hiroyuki, as well as the Members of the JPPFL headed by the Honorable MORIYAMA Hiroshi.
Our meetings with our parliamentary counterparts revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has not diminished the desire to maintain the strong ties between our two countries through active interparliamentary relations. Our counterparts recognized the need to promote our flourishing bilateral relations as well as the contribution of the 290,000 Filipino workers in Japan. They also emphasized the need for greater cooperation in the near future, particularly in efforts that will ensure the peace and stability of our region through closer defense and security cooperation.
The highlight of the visit was our Call on, and dialogue with, their Prime Minister, His Excellency KISHIDA Fumio, which was indeed a rare privilege. Prime Minister KISHIDA underscored the continuous bilateral cooperation between our countries and reiterated Japan's commitment to the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao, BARMM, and in the peace process. He also reiterated Japan's commitment to a Free and Open International Order based on the rule of law. Likewise, the Prime Minister expressed his support for stronger and increased parliamentary exchanges and enlisted the continued engagement and support of Philippine Senators.
I, in turn, emphasized the importance of the Philippines-Japan Strategic Partnership and informed him of the challenges in upholding Philippine sovereignty in our own Exclusive Economic Zone. We also expressed our support to the initiative for a Reciprocal Access Agreement between our two countries. Finally, on behalf of the Delegation, this representation, with the consultation of our Speaker of the House of Representatives, invited Prime Minister KISHIDA to address both Houses of Congress in a Joint Session during a future official visit to the Philippines.
Undoubtedly, these interparliamentary exchanges and dialogues contribute, in no small ways, to shaping our bilateral relations and to the formulation of bilateral agreements and treaties between the Philippines and Japan.
Japan remains a true partner to the Philippines in every essence of the word. As a Mindanaoan, or Mindanaonon, I would also like to express my thanks for the Japanese Parliament's support for development aid to the Philippines, that has significantly improved the peace situation and the lives and welfare of our countrymen, especially in my region of Mindanao.
In light of the very warm reception we received from the Government and Parliament of Japan, and particularly the JPPFL during our visit to Japan last April, and their continued commitment to support the development of the Philippines, it gives me great pleasure to sponsor Senate Resolution No. 703, recognizing the enduring interparliamentary friendship between the Philippines and Japan under the leadership of its distinguished President, the Honorable Moriyama Hiroshi.
Once again I therefore ask for the support of all my colleagues, toward the unanimous adoption of this resolution.
Mabuhay po ang Pilipinas, mabuhay po ang Japan!
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