MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Embassy in Manila exchanged notes on a Tokyo-funded flood forecasting system project for the Cagayan de Oro (CDO) River Basin and a scholarship program for young government workers in the Philippines.
The first exchange of notes signed will provide a grant worth 1.278 billion Japanese yen (approximately PHP608 million) to extend technical support to CDO’s operational system for flood forecasting and disaster prevention.
Japan, the country’s largest source of official development assistance, expects the project to further strengthen CDO’s ability against future risks of flash floods and mudslides, thus “contributing to sustainable development in the region.”
On the second exchange of notes signed, Japan is expected to provide 563 million yen (approximately PHP268 million) to cover 20 fellows for the Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) Project in 2018 and another 22 for 2019.
JDS aims to support the human resource development of Japanese grant aid recipient countries, such as the Philippines.
JDS fellows are mostly young employees working in various government institutions, who are expected to engage in the implementation of social and economic development plans as future leaders.
The project offers two-year Master’s courses at Japanese Universities in English. To date, the Philippines has a total of 319 JDS fellows.
The signing and exchange of notes between Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda was held last June 13. (Japan Embassy PR/PNA)
