RP can tap Japan’s $2.5-B financial assistance for disaster relief

TOKYO, Japan – The Philippines can tap into the $2.5-billion financial assistance package that Japan has pledged for disaster-stricken countries, a ranking Japanese foreign ministry official said.

Masami Tamura, principal deputy director for the Ministry of Japan’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, told delegates of the 28th Nihon Shinbun Kyokai (NSK) Fellowship Program that the fund would be available upon the Philippine government’s request to any Japanese government unit such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

"It could come in the form of an official development assistance (ODA) loan which can be applied for by the Philippine government at the Japanese embassy or the JICA," he said.

Tamura said the establishment of the disaster relief fund is consistent with the Japan-ASEAN Plan of Action established by ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member-countries and Japan.

Under this scheme, Japan and the ASEAN bloc will cooperate in the field of disaster reduction in collaboration with the United Nations and other international organizations.

Last year, a huge number of Filipinos were killed by flashfloods in Quezon province and Central Luzon. Towards the end of 2004, a tsunami hit the Indian Ocean, killing about 300,000 in affected areas such as Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Thailand.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in a recent speech at the Asian-Africa Summit, said "Japan will continue its efforts towards the goal of providing ODA of 0.7 percent of our gross national income in order to contribute to the Millennium Development Goals."

"From this point of view, Japan will ensure a steady and sufficient level of ODA," Koizumi pointed out.

Japan remains the top ODA donor in Asia, with its net disbursement totaling more than $100 billion since 1960. Japan’s ODA has made significant contributions to economic development and other poverty reduction programs, infrastructure building, human resources development and other socioeconomic aspects in Asian countries.

Early this month, Koizumi said Japan would be providing more than $2.5 billion over the next five years in assistance for disaster prevention and mitigation and reconstruction measures in Asia, Africa and other regions, including rehabilitation and reconstruction for the recent tsunami disaster and establishment of the tsunami early warning system in the Indian Ocean.

In Jan. 2005, Japan extended a $500-million grant as emergency and humanitarian assistance and dispatched disaster relief teams, including the Japan Self Defense Forces, to devastated countries.

NSK is the largest association of newspaper publishers and editors in Japan. The program, which is done in cooperation with Japan Airlines and the Foreign Press Center Japan (FPCJ), brings together 13 delegates from seven countries - the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore — for a fellowship program each year. This year, one of the program’s objectives is to share the experiences of ASEAN countries during times of disasters.