Source: PDI
COTABATO CITY, Philippines—The Japanese government has shown its determination to continue its role in helping peace and development efforts in Mindanao with the appointment of a second representative in the International Monitoring Team, presidential peace adviser Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles said in a statement on Friday.
Deles said Kei Fukunaga was Tokyo’s second man in the IMT, a body that also helps in the rehabilitation of war-torn areas aside from ensuring that ceasefire agreements between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were being followed.
Fukunaga joined Naoyuki Ochiai, who has been part of the IMT since December 2010.
“Together, Ochiai and Fukunaga will contribute to further development in Mindanao,” Deles said, quoting a letter from the Japanese Embassy.
Hitoshi Ozawa, head of the Japanese Embassy’s political section, said Fukunaga has vast experience in development projects and “would be of great help to rebuilding efforts in Mindanao’s conflict zone.”
"Mr. Fukunaga has rich experience in undertaking development projects in various countries," Ozawa said.
Ozawa said that aside from deploying additional personnel to the IMT, Tokyo also wanted to show its determination to help Muslim Filipinos by committing P44 million in fresh assistance to nine peace and development projects in Mindanao.
He said the projects were being implemented through the Japan-Bangsamoro for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD).
On Friday last week, Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura signed the fifth batch of grant contracts at the Astoria Plaza Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig City.
After the signing, Katsura clarified that his government had no intention of intervening in the peace process but Tokyo was looking forward to a negotiated and peaceful settlement of the conflict in Mindanao.
"We hope both sides will come up with a negotiated and peaceful settlement to end the decades-long armed conflict, and in turn provide an opportunity for the people to enjoy the dividends of peace," he said in a statement sent out by the Japanese Embassy.
On top of the projects implemented through J-BIRD, Japan is also a major contributor to the multi-billion peso Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s Social Fund Project (ASFP).
ASFP has been implementing peace and development projects in poor communities in various parts of the region ranging from water, electrification, education and health projects. Meanwhile, a ranking official of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) underscored the need to support the government’s peace initiatives in Mindanao, where children are the most vulnerable victims of violence in conflict-affected areas.
“Let’s hope for a sustainable peace by supporting the Philippine government’s peace process with the insurgents. Resumption of the armed conflict is counter-productive to a community, its economy, and the young inhabitants needing the care and guidance for a better tomorrow,” said Vanessa Tobin, Unicef country representative.
Tobin said Unicef and other UN humanitarian agencies have been working to assist strife-torn families and internally-displaced persons to be able to go back to their “normal lives of being free and serene.”
She said “some $3 million to $4 million” have been poured into the Philippines last year, and most of it went to the ARMM and Central Mindanao regions.
She said the fund benefits roughly 200,000 children in the South.
“We aim to help build a healthy foundation among poor and displaced children so they could be useful and productive members of the community,” Tobin said.
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COTABATO CITY, Philippines—The Japanese government has shown its determination to continue its role in helping peace and development efforts in Mindanao with the appointment of a second representative in the International Monitoring Team, presidential peace adviser Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles said in a statement on Friday.
Deles said Kei Fukunaga was Tokyo’s second man in the IMT, a body that also helps in the rehabilitation of war-torn areas aside from ensuring that ceasefire agreements between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were being followed.
Fukunaga joined Naoyuki Ochiai, who has been part of the IMT since December 2010.
“Together, Ochiai and Fukunaga will contribute to further development in Mindanao,” Deles said, quoting a letter from the Japanese Embassy.
Hitoshi Ozawa, head of the Japanese Embassy’s political section, said Fukunaga has vast experience in development projects and “would be of great help to rebuilding efforts in Mindanao’s conflict zone.”
"Mr. Fukunaga has rich experience in undertaking development projects in various countries," Ozawa said.
Ozawa said that aside from deploying additional personnel to the IMT, Tokyo also wanted to show its determination to help Muslim Filipinos by committing P44 million in fresh assistance to nine peace and development projects in Mindanao.
He said the projects were being implemented through the Japan-Bangsamoro for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD).
On Friday last week, Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura signed the fifth batch of grant contracts at the Astoria Plaza Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig City.
After the signing, Katsura clarified that his government had no intention of intervening in the peace process but Tokyo was looking forward to a negotiated and peaceful settlement of the conflict in Mindanao.
"We hope both sides will come up with a negotiated and peaceful settlement to end the decades-long armed conflict, and in turn provide an opportunity for the people to enjoy the dividends of peace," he said in a statement sent out by the Japanese Embassy.
On top of the projects implemented through J-BIRD, Japan is also a major contributor to the multi-billion peso Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s Social Fund Project (ASFP).
ASFP has been implementing peace and development projects in poor communities in various parts of the region ranging from water, electrification, education and health projects. Meanwhile, a ranking official of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) underscored the need to support the government’s peace initiatives in Mindanao, where children are the most vulnerable victims of violence in conflict-affected areas.
“Let’s hope for a sustainable peace by supporting the Philippine government’s peace process with the insurgents. Resumption of the armed conflict is counter-productive to a community, its economy, and the young inhabitants needing the care and guidance for a better tomorrow,” said Vanessa Tobin, Unicef country representative.
Tobin said Unicef and other UN humanitarian agencies have been working to assist strife-torn families and internally-displaced persons to be able to go back to their “normal lives of being free and serene.”
She said “some $3 million to $4 million” have been poured into the Philippines last year, and most of it went to the ARMM and Central Mindanao regions.
She said the fund benefits roughly 200,000 children in the South.
“We aim to help build a healthy foundation among poor and displaced children so they could be useful and productive members of the community,” Tobin said.
