Japan to hike Mindanao aid

VIENTIANE (via PLDT) – Japan has expressed willingness to “increase and accelerate” its official development assistance (ODA) programs to Mindanao after the government signed a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), President Aquino said yesterday.

Aquino could not give any specific amount, however, as to how much the aid would be, except that it is going to be more than the usual and would perhaps be given in an accelerated mode.

On Monday afternoon, Aquino held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on the sidelines of the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) here, which ended yesterday.

“The impression we get from all sources is a lot of these countries will be assisting us, and not just to the same degree that they did before,” Aquino told newsmen.

“This may be on an accelerated and increased level. But this is not specific to Japan,” Aquino told Manila-based reporters in a sit-down interview at the Don Chan Hotel here where he was billeted for two days.

The Philippines and Japan vowed to remain steadfast partners of development in a move seen to further strengthen relations between the two countries.

Aquino also thanked Noda for providing the venue for his August 2011 meeting with MILF leader Al Haj Murad.

Noda pledged to continue working with the Philippines on development projects while Aquino cited Japan as a “long-time, valuable and strategic partner of the Philippines” through its ODA program.

Aquino said he was congratulated by Noda for signing the landmark framework agreement with the MILF.

Japan wanted to help in capability and capacity building, and human resource development, according to Aquino.

“We asked the MILF to come up with their list of priority activities and projects,” Aquino said.

“We’ll go through the list once they submit it then we’ll agree on the sequence, the prioritization. So the development and the changes being wrought will be driven from the grassroots,” he said.– With Cecille Suerte Felipe