Japan, Korea funding agenciestie up for Philippines health sector

MANILA, Philippines — The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is collaborating with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to finance projects in the health sector in the Philippines.

KOICA Philippines said in a social media post that its assistant country director Lee Hyung-won visited the JICA Philippines office on Oct. 19 to discuss potential cooperation in the health sector.

During the visit, the agencies exchanged information on their programs, particularly projects in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

KOICA said it “looks forward to strengthen its partnership with JICA to maximize effectiveness of support to the Philippines.”

Last Sept. 21, JICA Philippines chief representative Sakamoto Takema and his delegation visited KOICA Philippines to explore how the two agencies can collaborate on common areas of interest.

In that meeting, both agencies shared information on their respective official development assistance (ODA) programs.

The agencies also discussed ways to enhance development cooperation in the Philippines.

KOICA Philippines country director Kim Eunsub assured JICA of KOICA’s full support for future development initiatives.

The National Economic and Development Authority’s 2022 ODA portfolio review report showed foreign aid from South Korea reached $910 million or 2.81 percent of the Philippines’ total active ODA last year.

Meanwhile, ODA from Japan reached $9.96 billion or 30.75 percent of the total foreign aid secured by the Philippines in 2022.

ODA received by the Philippines’ social reform and community development sector, which includes health and hospital services, as well as nutrition and population, reached $6.14 billion last year.