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TOKYO (via PLDT) – Reiterating its commitment to Philippine development, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) vowed the other day to pour in more aid to the country, particularly in Mindanao to help secure peace and development in the region.

JICA president Dr. Sadako Ogata met with President Arroyo in her suite at the Imperial Hotel where she has been staying since her arrival onTuesday for a four-day visit here.

During their half-hour meeting that began at 11:30 a.m., Ogata said JICA would pour more development aid when feasible and necessary.

“Dr. Ogata renewed a commitment to play an active role in the peace process principally through capacity-building and quick impact projects,” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, who was present during the meeting, said.

“The President also expressed appreciation for the work of JICA not only in Mindanao but also in other parts of the country,” he said.

He said Mrs. Arroyo praised Ogata for her commitment to the country that she visited a camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in September last year to see for herself the situation in Mindanao.

“The President commended Dr. Ogata for her bravery and said the incident showed the commitment of both sides for peace and development in Mindanao,” Bunye said.

He said Ogata did not realize until later that her visit was considered dangerous.

The government and the separatist MILF are in the final stages of peace talks that is currently snagged on the issue of ancestral domain or which areas would be considered Bangsamoro homeland.

Mrs. Arroyo earlier told business leaders during a forum of the Japan-Philippines Economic Cooperation Council that the Philippines is very appreciative of Japanese participation in the peace process in Mindanao.

She noted that Japan is the first non-Muslim member of the international monitoring team in Mindanao that monitors the implemenation of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the MILF.

JICA earlier announced that a two-year grassroots study to assess the social, economic and development needs of Mindanao will be launched later this month.

The study is being conducted in areas under the control of the MILF primarily at the level of the barangay. Based on the results, so-called quick impact projects in education, healthcare, water supply and economic improvement will be launched.

During her visit to the MILF, Ogata “pledged her organization would help to restore stability in Mindanao after more than three decades of war between the government and Islamic and communist insurgents in which tens of thousands of persons were killed,” a JICA statement said.

A formal agreement between the government and JICA followed in March and the agency then established a field office in Davao City with one Japanese staff member and five local personnel.

As in previous years, JICA continues to provide assistance to the regional government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), particularly in the areas of medical care and agriculture.

In March, five local officials were sent to Malaysia to study halal, or Islamic food processing techniques.

JICA is dispatching new evaluation teams to help develop local industry and infrastructure. It is conducting community development field studies in both the ARMM and MILF areas through non-government organizations (NGOs) and promoting cooperation frameworks in rice cultivation and livestock farming.