DOT confident of hitting tourist  arrivals target

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo arrived today at the end of a successful four-day mission to Tokyo, Japan to further cement Philippine-Japan relations, bring in more investments and bolster peace and stability in the Asian region.

The President’s plane touched down at 12:35 p.m. at Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). After brief airport formalities, the President boarded her official car for Malacañang.

In her arrival statement, the President stressed that in Japan she succeeded in reaffirming to the "international community… that the Philippines has never been stronger and more ready to join the ranks of Asia’s tigers."

"Just as we have been successful in the past by luring more Japanese investors, so too are we confident that even more investments and job-creation will follow in the aftermath of this successful trip."

At the Philippine Business Seminar at the Kaikan Hotel in Tokyo, the President had urged Japanese business leaders to invest in the Philippines, saying "we are a good business environment, getting even better."

In her arrival statement, the Chief Executive explained that "foreign relations play a vital role in a strong Philippines" and "an essential component of a modern vision for the Philippines is our continued engagement with the region and the world."

"We need to be competitive at home. We need to compete for investments abroad if we have to succeed… Our trip to Japan to join other leaders like (Japan) Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe and (Malaysian) Prime Minister Bhadawi was another step in our quest to further cement our ties and bring more investments, economic growth and peace and stability to our nation," she said.

"We eagerly engaged with Japanese business leaders to convince them that the Philippines is the best value in Asia today and the best place to invest," the President added.

She said on bilateral relations, Japanese Prime Minister Abe has "declared his intention to take an even more active role in shaping peace in Mindanao. Nothing could be better for the Philippines than more investment and peace and stability coming out of Mindanao."

Earlier, the President had received the assurance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) that the latter would continue to play an active role in the Mindanao peace process, principally through capacity-building and quick-impact projects.

"In sum, we have sent a clear message to our Japanese friends and hosts that relations between the Philippines and Japan have never been stronger. We made advances on closer economic ties, and continued to build on the warm ties that bind our relations with Japan, not just in the Philippines, but in the Asean region and the world," she said.

In Japan, the President obtained Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s commitment to put in writing that Japan would not dump toxic and other hazardous wastes in the Philippines under the proposed Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

The JPEPA is awaiting ratification by the Philippine Senate.

The President was met at the airport by top government officials, including Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon, and Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Calderon.

The presidential entourage included Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila, and Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye.