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PGMA's Statement during the Official Dinner hosted by Prime Minister and Madame Taro Aso |
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Big Hall, Kantei (Prime Minister’s Office) Tokyo, Japan |
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18 June 2009 |
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Prime Minister Taro Aso, Madame Aso, officials of the
Japanese government, members of the Philippine delegation, ladies and
gentlemen: In behalf of my husband and the members of my delegation, I thank Your Excellency and the government and the people of Japan for the warm hospitality accorded to us. I thank Prime Minister Aso for his wonderful and interesting account of the centuries-old relationship between Japan and the Philippines. Japan has been an extraordinary friend and ally to the Philippines. And in talking about the similarities between the Philippines and Japan over the centuries, especially the rice terraces, I do hope that Prime Minister Aso and Madame Aso will be able to see the rice terraces someday. That would mean, of course, going to our summer capital of Baguio City, and it’s interesting to note that the road going to Baguio City, our mountain city, was built by Japanese construction engineers in the early part of the 20th century. At that time the American government had just come to colonize the Philippines. American construction companies were too far away in America to come to the Philippines to build the roads. There were no Spanish construction companies left over from the Spanish time. So, geographically, the nearest country from where to get construction companies was Japan. And as it took years to build those roads to Baguio City, many of the Japanese who went to build the roads remained in the Philippines, had families and so we had a thriving community of Japanese descendants in that beautiful summer capital city of Baguio. Given the many facts since our relationship with each other, person-to-person relationships, cultural relationships, economic relationships, it is no wonder that during my nine-year Presidency I have been to Japan seven times, including a state visit in 2002. The occasion of my visit this time is to be able to work on how we can smoothly realize the significant benefits from the first-ever bilateral trade agreement between us, the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement. With this agreement our bilateral relations are at their highest peak since the historic visit made by Their Imperial Majesties, who were then Crown Prince and Princess of Japan, to the Philippines during the Administration of my father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal. Since that historic visit our continued engagement with each other keeps enhancing our nations security and prosperity and our friendship with each other. And now this particular visit highlights the new era of economic links between us occasioned by the entry into force of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement. In this spirit and in behalf of the Filipino nation and people, I offer a toast: to the continued good health and well-being of Their Imperial Majesties, to the well-being of Their Excellencies Prime Minister and Madame Taro Aso, to the continued peace and prosperity of the Japanese and Filipino people, to the enduring friendship between Japan and the Philippines. Kampai! |
