Japan has told President Marcos that it would continue to assist the Philippines, especially after the series of typhoons that hit the country in less than a month.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President Tanaka Akihiko made the assurance during his courtesy call to Marcos on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
"As a country sharing a similar fate of having monsoon typhoons, but the recent experience forced us to continue our collaborative work in disaster risk reduction," Tanaka said.
"On this occasion, we think you, Mr. President, has some observations about how to tackle these types of natural disasters and what sort of things that do you consider JICA can be part of your work, that will be extremely appreciated," he added.
Marcos mentioned the issue on the country's flood control and in water management, saying these have been lingering concerns, especially in highly-urbanized areas.
During the meeting, the President thanked JICA for its continuous cooperation with the country, saying the international agency has always been an important partner of the Philippines.
"It started only with infrastructure but now you have also expanded into other areas, so we hope we can continue, especially the green projects that we have now," Marcos told the JICA president.
"I think they are going very well and I don’t think we will have particular problems, but if there is anything more that we can do from the Philippine side, we will be happy to hear any suggestions from JICA," he also said.
Tanaka also conveyed Japan's sympathy to all those who were affected by the series of typhoons in the Philippines.