Japanese perseverance amid tragedy served as 'inspiration' for Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government commended yesterday the determination of the Japanese to recover from the March 2011 earthquake-tsunami that killed thousands, which now serves as an inspiration for Filipinos who remain vulnerable to such catastrophes.

In a speech delivered on behalf of President Aquino, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said this was one lesson Filipinos draw inspiration from.

The Japanese “capacity to persevere and triumph over adversity serves as an inspiration to us Filipinos who, like our Japanese friends, live in areas that are particularly prone to devastation from severe weather events.”

“Japan has shown us the best strategy in dealing with natural calamities – and that is to work amongst ourselves to implement programs and projects that will help ensure that natural disasters do not become greater tragedies by needlessly claiming more lives,” Ochoa said.

The Philippines and Japan are both vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

“One can only admire the dignity in which the Japanese people conducted themselves in the aftermath of the (March 11) earthquake, and marvel at the selflessness of the Japanese citizens who were willing to sacrifice their own lives (in order) to restore control over Fukushima Daiichi, as well as efforts to contain radiation releases in areas badly hit by the earthquake,” he noted.

The Palace official also drew a parallelism in Japan’s earthquake-tsunami to the country’s recent typhoon “Sendong” that submerged Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities in Mindanao – which had never been flooded in their entire history – as reasons to be well prepared.

“The earthquake and tsunami in Japan and typhoon Sendong in our country underscore the particular vulnerability of our two countries, and stress the importance of disaster readiness and response programs to address such vulnerabilities,” Ochoa said.

Ochoa also took the opportunity to thank the Japanese government, represented by Ambassador Toshinao Urabe, for being the top overseas development assistance (ODA) provider to the Philippines.

Japanese ODA local projects include improvement of disaster prevention and response capabilities, including the Doppler radar systems, flood warning systems, emergency shelters, and river channel improvement projects.

The executive secretary disclosed that the government would be inaugurating soon a new radar station in Virac, Catanduanes that was built from funding provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“On behalf of the President, I wish Japan success as it undertakes the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected areas. We continue to be in solidarity with Japan as it undertakes relief, reconstruction, and rebuilding (operations),” Ochoa said.

Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe (left) explains the effects of the 2011 Japan tsunami to UP president Alfredo Pascual (second from left), Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa during a photo exhibit commemorating the anniversary of the disaster at UP Diliman in Quezon City yesterday. BOY SANTOS

“I likewise reiterate President Aquino’s pledge of our readiness to extend assistance to Japan, a pledge made by the President during his official visit to Japan, where it is hoped that the funds he donated on behalf of our government to Ishinomaki City contributed in helping the local government reconstruct the government and public facilities in that area,” he added.

“We commend Japan for its support for the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management and of an ASEAN-wide information-sharing network regarding Disaster Management,” Ochoa said.

“It is hoped that collaborations such as these will help countries (like ours) replicate the level of disaster response readiness that Japan showed last year,” he stressed.

“As agreed by our leaders in their 2011 Joint Statement, we hope that our bilateral cooperation in disaster prevention and management will continue to be strengthened based on the sharing of experiences and lessons accumulated between the two countries,” Ochoa said.