House Speaker Martin Romualdez has welcomed the possible visit of Japanese legislators to the Philippines, saying this would further broaden the long-standing good relations between the two countries.
This, after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. invited members of the Japanese parliament to visit the Philippines during the meeting of the Japan-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship League (JPPFL) held Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.
Marcos said a visit to the Philippines would accord the Japanese solons the opportunity to personally witness the positive results of the various assistance program provided by the Japanese government to the Filipino people.
“I really hope our friends from the Japanese parliament could visit us in the Philippines as this would go a long way to further deepen the mutually-beneficial bilateral relations that the two countries have nurtured over the past decades,” said Romualdez.
“It would likewise provide a venue for us to exchange ideas on the best parliamentary practices as well as innovative approaches to the common challenges facing our respective countries amid present developments in the region and the world,” he added.
Apart from Speaker, among the Filipino lawmakers who attended the JPPFL were House Senior Deputy Speaker and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri; Special Assistant to the President, Secretary Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo Jr.; and Senator Mark Villar.
Japanese House of Representatives Chairman Moriyama Hiroshi, Vice Chairmen Okuno Shinsuke, Takemi Keizo, and Nakagawa Masaharu took part in the JPPFL.
Romualdez hopes such a visit by the Japanese lawmakers could be arranged to happen this July, coinciding with the celebration of the 67th anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan.
“That would be the best time for the visit of our Japanese friends as it would lend symbolic significance to another milestone in our bilateral relations. But if that is not possible, they would be most welcome anytime,” Romualdez said.
“One thing is sure, they can expect to receive the famous Filipino hospitality to reciprocate the warm reception they gave us, along with the successful formalization of agreements on various areas of mutual cooperation, during President Marcos’ working visit to Japan,” he said.