MARKING the 54th year since the Philippines and Japan decided to reconcile amidst the damage brought upon by the Japanese Military during World War II, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makoto Katsura can only say “arigato gozaimas (thank you very much)” to the Filipino people for being noble enough to accept the reconciliation offered by his people.
In celebration of the 66th anniversary of the successful liberation by American and Allied Forces of the Philippines from Japanese occupation last October 20, Katsura affirmed the Filipino people in a report from a local newspaper that, “the noble spirit of reconciliation and the sense of fairness on the part of the Filipino people” has prompted Japan to extend help and further strengthen its ties with the country.
As the Philippine’s top donor, Japan has provided a whopping $208 billion of official development aid (ODA) (seifu kaihatsu enjo in Japanese) and remains committed to help the country up to this day.
In fact, a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer stated that during the first eight months of 2010, Japan has offered the country over P50 billion in ODA.
The assistance offered by Japan has also paved way for the Philippines to be introduced to several international donors such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other United Nations affiliated agencies.
Japan has been discreet in providing ODA to the Philippines. This year’s ODA went to the projects for climate change and disaster mitigation-related initiatives worth P1.27 billion; education worth P505.8 million; energy, P308.1 million; agriculture worth P364.1 million; health, P578.3 million; peace process (especially in Mindanao), P139.7 million; flood control, P5.4 million among others.
The Japanese embassy in the Philippines refuted the notion that the Japanese ODA is being given with intent of promoting Japanese companies and gaining benefits as well. While this was once true during the 1960s to the mid-1980s, the embassy said “things have since changed.”
Meanwhile, Katsura said in his speech before other delegates from other countries that Japan will continue “deepening the friendly relations” between his country and the Philippines not only as a strategic partner, but also as an ally.
There is truth in what people say that you can’t undo what’s already been done in asking for forgiveness. It is also not enough to offer apologetic words and admit that you are at fault—the most important thing is to prove through actions that you are truly sorry by never doing the same mistake again. (AJPress)
( www.asainjournal.com )
( Published October 29, 2010 in Asian Journal Northern California p. A8 )
