MANILA – High-level Philippine and Japanese officials will hold their 11th meeting on infrastructure development and economic cooperation on July 28 via videoconferencing amid the continuing travel restrictions arising from the prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
The meeting will be chaired by Finance secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Socioeconomic Planning secretary Karl Kendrick Chua for the Philippine side, and by Dr. Izumi Hiroto, special advisor to the Prime Minister, on behalf of the Japanese delegation.
This will be the second time that the Japan-Philippines Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation will be convened online.
The 10th meeting on October 28 last year was also held in a videoconference format.
The discussions will focus on the status of the Japan-funded projects under President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature initiative “Build, Build, Build” program and Japan’s assistance to the Philippines’ COVID-19 response efforts, including its ongoing mass vaccination program.
Also expected to be discussed during the virtual meeting are the updates on the Mindanao peace process, which Japan has been actively supporting through the framework of the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development.
The two sides will also talk about Japan’s support for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi City and its surrounding areas.
The virtual meeting will tackle the progress of the first phase of several Japan-supported projects, such as the Metro Manila Subway Project, Philippine Railway Institute, Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) Rehabilitation Project, Davao City Bypass Construction Project, Central Mindanao Highway Project, North-South Railway Project, Paranaque Spillway Project, Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project and New Clark City.(PIA/DOF)
