Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to the Philippines will send a clear signal to neighboring countries of the strong bilateral ties enjoyed by the two nations.

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, in a statement, said she firmly believes Kishida's visit "will further strengthen our bilateral relations."

"During Prime Minister Kishida's visit, we expect that Japan will assume a pivotal role in assisting the Philippines in safeguarding its territorial integrity," Legarda said.

"As we seek to strengthen security cooperation through the proposed reciprocal access agreement, we aspire to enhance the training and upskilling of our armed forces by forging closer collaboration with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces," she further stressed.

Legarda added that Japan has consistently remained as the Philippine's top bilateral official development assistance (ODA) partner through the years.

"Recognizing the significance of this partnership, we anticipate that our collaboration will reach new heights, encompassing the diversification and advancement of key sectors such as infrastructure development, disaster risk reduction, food security, education, health, maritime safety, as well as the pursuit of peace and development,"

"These projects, with their far-reaching impact, hold the potential to uplift the lives of Filipinos and strengthen our economic competitiveness," she emphasized.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, for his part, said the Senate is now gearing up for Congress’ Special Session on Saturday, November 4 for the Prime Minister’s address.

Both Legarda and Villanueva would be among the senators present in the special session that would be held at the House of Representatives.

“This will give a clear signal to our neighboring countries and to the whole world of our friendship, of our ties, being allies here in the Asian Region,” Villanueva said in an online interview with reporters.

“This is a great opportunity also for the Prime Minister of Japan, not only to visit our country and to address the Congress but also to meet with our President, President (Ferdinand) Bongbong Marcos to bolster alliance on all fronts,"

“We all know that Japan is the largest bilateral source of our ODA for the past 20 years totaling to about P7.7-trillion in loans contracted and committed during the past administrations,” he added.

Villanueva also said he is confident that Kishida’s visit to the Philippines will help lay down the ground work for a new security treaty with the government amid its woes in the West Philippine Sea.

The lawmaker vouched on this, recalling that Kishida had told the Japanese media that he will demonstrate a desire to work together in various challenges facing the region and the international community.

“And we are expecting our leaders also to discuss cooperation because the Japanese government has what they call an official security assistance. This is a new program that would provide defense equipment for free to like-minded partners like the Philippines, and Malaysia for 2023,” he said.

“We are interested on this and Japan is here providing coastal radar system and patrol vessels to the Philippines to bolster our surveillance capabilities. That one is already starting,” he pointed out.

“Definitely this will be a huge benefit to the country and will show what the true definition of a true friend is to the Philippines, unlike other countries that pretend to be a friend, but are acting differently from what they are saying,” Villanueva reiterated.