Japanese officials here to see funded projects

CEBU, Philippines - The Embassy of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have set a press tour today to their Official Development Assistance projects in Cebu.

From Tacloban City, the party led by Hiroshi Yamakawa, secretary of the Economic Department of Embassy of Japan in Manila and Press Officer Kenji Hirai arrived in Cebu yesterday afternoon and paid a courtesy call to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia at the Capitol.

The party had dinner last night at the Parklane International Hotel with officials of the Philippine Export Zone Authority and selected members of the Cebu media.

For better understanding of Japan’s projects for the Philippines, the tour will provide the press with opportunities of site visits to various ODA projects and interviews with beneficiaries.

The tour group will also visit some manufacturers in Cebu to see how ODA has led to the rising investment of Japanese firms and the creation of significant number of jobs in the Philippines.

Today, the party is set to visit the Tsuneishi Heavy Industries, a Japanese shipbuilding company in Barangay Buanoy, Balamban town, Cebu.

From there, the group will proceed to the Food Processing Plant in Naga City where ODA granted to the Southern Partners and Fair Trade Center, Inc. the amount of US$93,910 (approximately P4.3 million), through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects to upgrade its facility.

There will be an interaction with Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers this afternoon and a visit to Pentax Cebu Philippines Corp., a Japanese camera manufacturer.

The group will also visit the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge, the second Mandaue-Mactan Bridge and the Mactan Cebu International Airport, both funded by yen loan. —Gregg M. Rubio/BRP (THE FREEMAN)