(UPDATE) JAPANESE Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will speak before a joint session of Congress on Saturday, November 4. His visit is seen to further enhance the partnership between the Philippines and Japan.
Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said Kishida’s visit will “strengthen cooperation between two allies in confronting common challenges.”
Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri. Contributed Photo
“We look forward to the address of a leader of a nation that is a robust trading partner, a strong security ally, a lending hand during calamities, and an investor in Philippine progress,” he said.
Only five foreign heads of state have had the honor to speak before a joint session of Congress: President Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam of India in 2006, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in April 2005, Chinese President Hu Jintao in April 2005, US President George W. Bush in 2003, and US President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960.
Zubiri said Japan is the largest source of the Philippines’ official development assistance (ODA).
Data from the Department of Finance showed that ODA from Japan amounted to $14.139 billion, or P7.77 trillion, over a 20-year period, spanning three presidencies from 2001 to 2020 and accounting for 72 percent of the $19.656 billion total bilateral loan portfolio for the same period.
When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited Tokyo last April, Japan pledged P250 billion in aid to the Philippines in the next two years to help the country in its bid to reach middle-income status by 2025.
At 9 a.m. on November 4, the Senate and the House of Representatives will convene separately to pass two resolutions: one to invite Prime Minister Kishida and another to convene the joint session.
The scheduled 11 a.m. address at the Batasan Complex is a result of Zubiri’s personal invitation to Kishida during a Philippine Senate delegation’s visit to Tokyo in April this year.
“We are honored that the good Prime Minister accepted our invitation for him to address the Filipino people through Congress,” Zubiri said.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez hopes that the visit and address of Kishida will usher in a new pathway for collaboration and development between the Philippines and Japan.
Romualdez expects Kishida’s speech will cover a wide range of important topics, with a focus on strengthening relations and exploring opportunities for the two countries.
“We are optimistic that through our discussions, new pathways for collaboration and development will emerge, promising enhanced opportunities and a brighter future for all Filipinos, here and in Japan,” Romualdez said.
