Phl donates $1 M for reconstruction of Japan city hall

ISHINOMAKI CITY, Japan – President Aquino traveled by bullet train and car for more than three hours to get to this northeastern city from Tokyo and personally hand over the Philippines’ $1-million donation for the reconstruction of the local city hall destroyed by earthquake and tsunami last March.

The President, members of his delegation, and media had to take the bullet train for one hour and 41 minutes and travel another hour and 30 minutes by car to get here and the Kadonowaki district, which were damaged by the tsunami along with Ayukawa district.

Mayor Hiroshi Kameyama welcomed the President and received the Philippine government’s donation along with other local officials in their temporary offices in a local mall.

Aquino was the first head of state to have gone to Ishinomaki since most of those who came earlier to express their solidarity with this country went to Sendai City.

The President offered a wreath in front of the Kadonowaki Elementary School where many students perished during the earthquake and tsunami. The mayor accompanied Aquino and briefed him about the disaster.

It is in this city where traces of the devastation are still evident unlike in Sendai City, which has apparently recovered.

Most of the images and video footage of vehicles being washed away like toy cars along with the houses were taken from here, being part of the coastal area along with Iwate and Fukushima in Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku region.

Damaged cars and debris were neatly piled up in one area while the houses, buildings, cemeteries, among others were torn down when the tsunami struck. But roads had been rebuilt and some vehicles were already seen traversing them.

Aquino explained that the amount might not be that substantial given the massive destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami that also resulted in a nuclear fallout in nearby Fukushima City but it was the message of support that should matter since this country had always been helpful to the Philippines in times of disaster.

This city was among the most seriously affected by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami last March.

A tsunami of about 10 meters high traveled 600 meters inland and destroyed around 80 percent of the 700 houses in the coastal whaling port of Ayukawa and Kadonowaki.

About 46 percent of the city was inundated by the tsunami and one elementary school, Okawa, was completely destroyed, killing 74 of the 108 students and 10 of 13 teachers and staff.

As of June 17, a total of 3,097 deaths had been confirmed in this city due to the tsunami, with 2,770 unaccounted for. At least 29,000 residents were rendered homeless.

As of Jan. 1, 2010, the population was estimated to be approximately more than 164,000.

Kadonowaki Junior High School is the largest evacuation center in this city with 123 evacuees. The President visited the evacuation site with other officials.

 The President also bonded with members of the Filipino community in a small but intimate gathering at the Ishinomaki Catholic Church.

Some residents said the situation here returned to normal a month ago. People experienced hunger and trauma after they lost their loved ones, their homes and their jobs, the Filipinos said.

Aquino decided not to read his prepared speech since the group was small and much more quiet than the one in Tokyo.

He said he was in Singapore for a state visit when the incident occurred and was shocked by what happened.

The President told them he handed a letter to the city mayor for the donation as the actual check that would be coursed through the Philippine embassy.

Aquino said the sight in Kadonowaki was similar to scenes in war movies.

He told the Filipinos to be strong and that the government would assist them in every way possible.

The President said the Philippines did prepare for a possible effect of the tsunami that this country experienced but some of the residents in coastal areas got mad for being evacuated when only a meter-high wave came.

“But if bigger waves came, they will also get mad because they were not evacuated. But that is life, you do something, they get mad, you don’t do anything, they get angry too. But many were actually happy,” the President said.

Aquino told the Filipino community he had just come from a trip to the United States upon the invitation of President Barack Obama and the other gains that his government was achieving through the various reforms he was initiating.

The President cited the P9-billion budget surplus in August that he said could be used for better and more social services as well as the possible investments that would come in after his trips.

Aquino also visited China last August.

He said he wanted to relay the good news to the Filipinos here to remind them that things were changing and that there was hope after a long period of darkness and trials.

The President said he chose to be with his countrymen here because of the destruction caused by the disasters which affected Filipinos as well.

“Of course that is not a very big amount given the degree of destruction but it came from the heart of the nation,” Aquino said.

“This is something we share with them as proof of our solidarity with them,” he said.

The President said Filipinos should not focus on the tragedy but on the fact that they could become stronger and managed to move on with the help from governments and people.

Four Filipinas spoke on behalf of the other Filipinos there who lost their loved ones, homes and jobs and experienced trauma.

They said they were grateful for the assistance, especially the doctors sent to help them cope with the emotional and psychological trauma that they experienced.

Some of the Filipinos needed passports and other documents required by Japan to stay while some wanted to go back to the Philippines because of the difficulties they were experiencing.

One of the Filipinas who spoke said Japan was quick to recover and they had started to move on.

She said Japan built temporary housing for them and was looking for relocation sites, provided medicine and asked those who lost their homes to pay only half of their taxes.

One said they were happy the President took time to see them even if their place is small while another said help from the Philippine government would be different even if assistance from foreign governments and other organizations were coming.