PDu30, labis ang pasasalamat sa tulong ng Japan sa economic dev’t ng Pinas

NAGPAHAYAG ng pasasalamat si Outgoing President Rodrigo Roa Duterte sa Japanese government para sa pagsuporta nito sa economic development ng Pilipinas, partikular na ang pagsisikap na makumpleto ang  kauna-unahang Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) sa bansa.

“May I express my gratitude again to the Japanese government for partnering with the Philippines to make this dream a reality. I am also grateful to have the Japan International Cooperation Agency as an ally in nation-building particularly in initiatives that will benefit our citizens and accelerate our country’s economic development,”  ayon kay Pangulong Duterte  sa kanyang naging talumpati matapos masaksihan ang pagpapababa sa Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) ng  MMSP sa MMSP Compound sa Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City.

Inamin ng Pangulo na labis siyang nagtataka kung bakit sobrang mahal ng Japan ang Pilipinas.

“I cannot seem to fathom the love of the Japanese people for this republic. There are so many projects going on in the country and being pushed and sponsored by the JICA. That is the overseas assistance nila,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Kapansin-pansin aniya na tinatrato ng  Japanese government ang Pilipinas  bilang bahagi nito (Japan).

“Japan has continued to help us to the extent that iyong ibang — pati ng  Davao City, the new highway and the bridge and everything, it would seem really that we are a part of the Japanese government. Para bang isang probinsiya tayo . We are the — you know, being treated as almost a part of Japan that should be developed in due time,” aniya pa rin.

Buwan ng Pebrero nang lagdaan ng Pilipinas at Japan  ang 253.3 billion yen  o P112.1 billion na  loan agreement para sa  Metro Manila Subway Project Phase 1.

Ito ang  second tranche ng  official development assistance loan na sumunod sa first tranche funding  ng Tokyo na pumalo sa 104.53 billion yen, na tinintahan noong  Marso 2018.

Ang funding agreement na may bitbit na interest rate na 0.1 percent per annum at repayment period na  40 taon, kasama ang 12-year grace period.

“Alam mo ‘pag ganoon ang obligasyon mo, it is really gratis na ‘yan . It’s a gift from the Japanese people to the people of the Philippines,” dagdag na pahayag ni Pangulong Duterte. (Daris Jose)