The work of friendship

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the 2026 Philippines-Japan Friendship Year Reception last Friday, October 23, 2026, at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. Hosted by the Consulate-General of Japan in Cebu, the gathering marked 70 years since the normalization of diplomatic relations between our two countries.

It was a pleasure to catch up with old friends and meet new ones from the different circles my work has brought me in touch with over the years. We enjoyed the food, especially the dishes prepared by the consulate’s chef, who deserves a special mention. There was much to enjoy in an evening of good company and generous hospitality.

Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan were normalized on July 23, 1956 following the entry into force of the San Francisco Peace Treaty and the Reparations Agreement. Amid today’s geopolitical uncertainties, this year’s 70th anniversary celebration carries a hopeful theme: “Weaving the Future Together: Peace, Prosperity, Possibilities.”

In the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations emerged from a shared determination to prevent another catastrophic war and give countries a place to address their differences through dialogue. Nations, large and small, gather in the UN General Assembly, where they can be heard regardless of the size of their economies or the strength of their militaries.

The hope was that nations with different interests and beliefs could still find ways to live together in peace. As the second Secretary-General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld later put it, “The United Nations was not created in order to bring us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell.”

For the Philippines and Japan, that hope meant learning to trust each other again after the war. Japan helped a great deal in developing our infrastructure. The relationship also grew through work, study, trade, travel, the arts and tourism.

The evening reception’s program reflected some of that work. Alongside the sake barrel opening, taiko drumming, and ikebana demonstration were presentations on school and local government exchanges.

Some 20 years ago, I coordinated the first UP Cebu-Toyo University Joint Workshop. Students from Toyo University came to Cebu for lectures on metropolitan governance and development challenges, as well as engagements and short research projects in Cebu City’s informal settler communities. They were assisted by our own UP Cebu students. In those two weeks of working together, they learned about the city and about one another.

I helped organize the same workshop at least three more times, and the airport farewells always brought tears. Filipino and Japanese students would cry as they said goodbye and promised to stay in touch. Friendships had grown in the course of their work, making it difficult to part after just two weeks. For me, the most important lesson of the workshop was learning to understand one another more deeply. It was also a work of friendship.

In today’s murky world of online information, I would like to think that the students who took part in those exchanges decades ago have something more substantial to draw on when public discussion becomes heated or simplistic. While familiarity cannot settle every disagreement, it can make careless judgments harder to sustain.

That matters in the geopolitical atmosphere and the region we live in today. Today, cooperation between the Philippines and Japan includes maritime security and support for the Philippine Coast Guard, alongside development and economic ties.

The evening reception in Cebu offered a pleasant setting in which to appreciate how much our two countries now share. Congratulations to Japan’s consul-general in Cebu, Yudai Ueno, and his team for a wonderful celebration!