Japan’s ambassador promises help for peace efforts in the BARMM
2 min read
FULL SUPPORT. Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya (right) assures BARMM officials, led by Parliament Speaker Pangalian Balindong, of Japan’s continued support for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Kazuya and his delegation visited the Bangsamoro parliament on Tuesday (June 18, 2024) in Cotabato City. (Photo courtesy of BARMM Parliament)
Mindanaoherald | Japan’s ambassador promises help for peace efforts in the BARMM | COTABATO CITY – Japan will keep supporting the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) through projects that promote peace, build people’s skills, and fund new projects.
Endo Kazuya, the Japanese ambassador to the Philippines, promised BARMM officials this after his visit here on Tuesday to show Japan’s full support for the nearly five-year-old extended region.
The leaders of Kazuya’s group paid a formal visit to the BARMM parliament, where Speaker Pangalian Balindong made them feel very welcome.
In a statement made Wednesday, Kazuya said, “The Japan delegation’s visit was meant to show support for the Bangsamoro region’s ongoing peace and development efforts.”
Speaker Balindong, a lawyer, talked about the parliament’s successes and the upcoming first elections for the parliament during the meeting.
The problem was talked over with members of the parliament by Ambassador Kazuya and a group from the Embassy of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Their thoughts on how the peace process was going were shared.
Japan’s Kazuya said that his country was grateful for the progress made in the area and reaffirmed that it would continue to help the Bangsamoro people on their path to peace and long-term development.
The BARMM parliament, on the other hand, was glad that Japan would continue to support the region and thanked Japan for its ongoing programs that have helped the area make progress.
“We are thankful to Japan and JICA for their help, technical advice, capacity-building programs, and many development projects that have helped our people,” Balindong told Kazuya and his group.
A week before Kazuya’s visit, his government gave out grants worth US5.5 million, or about PHP323.19 million, to help Sama Bajaus and other disadvantaged groups in the area get better access to birth registration.
The exchange of notes for the 30-month project was signed by Ambassador Kazuya and Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo, who is the head of the UNHCR office in the Philippines, on Tuesday.
Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi are some of the provinces that BARMM protects. It also includes the towns of Lamitan, Cotabato, and Marawi, as well as the 63 villages in North Cotabato that are part of the region’s Special Geographic Area. (via PNA)
