Joint Press Conference of Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. and Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu

PRESS REMARKS

BY

THE HON. TEODORO L. LOCSIN, JR.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs

[9 January 2020, Makati Shangri-La Hotel]

Good morning.

I am delighted to welcome His Excellency Motegi Toshimitsu on his first visit to our country as Foreign Minister of Japan. Fi-ri-pin e yo-ko-so (trans. “welcome to the Philippines”), Minister Motegi!

In 2017, President Duterte described the Philippine-Japan Strategic Partnership as having entered a “Golden Age”. Minister Motegi’s visit adds further luster to that golden friendship which remains one of the region’s closest and strongest.

Just moments ago, Minister Motegi and I exchanged diplomatic notes on the Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project. The project will reinforce our bridges, bringing them to superior seismic design specifications and making them resilient to large-scale tremors.

In like fashion, Minister Motegi’s visit and our very first bilateral meeting this morning further strengthens and reinforces the bridges that span our broad, dynamic and robust partnership. Minister Motegi and I engaged in candid and productive talks on the issues that challenge the backbone of our long ties and make our friendship even stronger for the stress and weight we carry together.

Building on the discussions between President Duterte and Prime Minister Abe last November in Bangkok, we took stock of the state of our cooperation in defense and maritime security, ODA and infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges.

I expressed the abiding appreciation of the government — and indeed of the entire indissoluble Philippine republic of which the Bangsamoro is an integral part — for Japan’s generous and untiring support for Mindanao. From the time of the peace talks, to the present path we tread transitioning to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, Japan has been a constant, dependable partner. As the Mindanao narrative shifted from insurgency to peace and now development, Japan has similarly upped its backing. Japanese-supported road development, grassroots development assistance, technical-vocational education and social development projects help us not only to reap the dividends of peace but also to re-invest these dividends for prosperity.

We reviewed with satisfaction our vigorous economic cooperation. Having only recently hosted SEA Games, and looking forward to the Tokyo Olympics this year, Japan is what we call a consistent “podium finisher”: it is the Philippines’ second largest trade partner, third largest investor, the top provider of ODA, and ranks a close fourth in terms of inbound tourism.

An important aspect of our economic cooperation pertains to infrastructure cooperation. With the administration of President Duterte in the second half of its tenure, infrastructure will figure even more prominently in our ties. Buttressed by dialogues between our respective Economic Managers, I welcomed Minister Motegi’s pledge of continued, substantial financial and technical support (under the most concessional terms as only Japan can offer) as the Duterte administration goes into the final push in our infrastructure drive. This is an era that will see the revival of the age of rail in our country, beginning with our first subway and the North-South Commuter Railway.

Just as significantly, we reviewed and charted the direction of our defense and security engagement. I thanked Japan for supporting our acquisition of new air and maritime assets and equipment to enhance our maritime domain awareness and capability, as well as law enforcement and humanitarian responses. We discussed future acquisitions in aid of the modernization of our armed forces and maritime forces.

A survey of the most pressing concerns in the regional security environment is an indispensable element of our strategic dialogue. I was pleased with my candid exchanges with Minister Motegi on issues such as rule of law in the maritime commons and the situation in the West Philippine Sea. We committed to continue our cooperation – bilaterally and in all possible forums – to maintain peace and security, stability and the rule of law in our region.

This is the first our many meetings which I look forward to having with Minister Motegi. The Philippines-Japan Strategic Partnership has been a positive force, not just for Philippine development and security, but in the best interest of our larger region. I very much look forward to our future encounters and interaction to build up even more our relationship, personal and official, and further cement our two countries friendship and unity of purpose.

Thank you very much. END