PGMA's Speech during the Arrival Ceremonies after a Working Visit to Japan

Departure Lounge, NAIA Terminal II, Pasay City (24 May 2002)
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

VICE PRESIDENT GUINGONA; SENATE PRESIDENT DRILON; SPEAKER DE VENECIA; MR. SADAOKA, CHARGE DE AFFAIRES OF JAPAN; MEMBERS OF THE CABINET; GENERAL CIMATU AND THE MAJOR SERVICE COMMANDERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES; MAYOR FRANCIS TOLENTINO OF THE LEAGUE OF CITIES AND OTHER OFFICIALS; FELLOW WORKERS IN GOVERNMENT; LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MEET ME. I ONLY WISH THAT EXECUTIVE SECRETARY BERT ROMULO WERE HERE WITH US TO SHARE THE RESULTS OF MY TRIP TO JAPAN. NEVERTHELESS, I ASK THE NATION TO JOIN ME IN PRAYING FOR HIS QUICK RECOVERY.

HIGH PROFILE EVENTS HAVE TRANSPIRED SINCE I LEFT. JUST BEFORE I TOOK OFF LAST MONDAY, EAST TIMOR HAD ITS INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION. AS I ARRIVED IN TOKYO, I WAS MET WITH THE NEWS THAT THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT HAD OFFICIALLY DECLARED THE END OF THE RECESSION IN JAPAN. AND AS I WAS ATTENDING AN ENERGY FORUM TO OBTAIN INVESTMENTS FOR THE PRIVATIZATION OF OUR POWER INDUSTRY BY MIDWEEK, A BLACKOUT HIT THE LUZON GRID. IN A LATE BREAKING DEVELOPMENT, WE ALLOWED FIVE NORTH KOREANS ONCE AGAIN SAFE PASSAGE THROUGH MANILA FOR A JOURNEY HOME FROM CHINA.

THESE SEEMINGLY DISPARATE EVENTS ALL HAD A RELEVANCE TO MY TRIP TO JAPAN. IN MY MEETINGS WITH BUSINESS AND POLITICAL LEADERS, AS WELL AS MEDIA MOGULS IN THAT COUNTRY, WE WERE DISCUSSING THE FUTURE OF ASIA AND THE ROLES OF JAPAN, CHINA, SOUTH KOREA, ASEAN AND THE PHILIPPINES IN THAT FUTURE. OUR TERMS OF REFERENCE WERE VERSATILE AND WIDE-RANGING; THEY COVERED THE ENTIRE GAMUT OF SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND SECURITY ISSUES.

IN THIS LIGHT, EAST TIMOR IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT SYMBOLIZES THE NEED FOR CLOSER REGIONAL COOPERATION IN ENSURING PEACE AND STABILITY UNDER CONDITIONS OF DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM. IN FACT, I AM VERY HAPPY AND PROUD THAT JAPAN AND THE PHILIPPINES HAVE A SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO EAST TIMOR -- FUNDS FROM JAPAN ENTAILED FROM THE PHILIPPINES. THE CASE OF THE FIVE KOREANS IS RELEVANT TO OUR UNIVERSAL IDEALS OF HUMAN FREEDOM. AND REEMERGENCE OF JAPAN FROM RECESSION IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE JAPAN CONTINUES TO BE THE ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE OF THE REGION. IT HAS 60 PERCENT OF THE REGION'S GDP, IT HAS THE LARGEST CAPITAL IN THE REGION, AND IT HAS THE SHARPEST EDGE IN TECHNOLOGY EVEN TODAY. THE LUZON BLACKOUT BROUGHT INTO THE FOREFRONT THE URGENT NEED TO PRIVATIZE OUR ENERGY SECTOR, WHICH BEARS PRIMORDIAL RELEVANCE TO CONFIDENCE IN OUR ECONOMY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE GLOBALIZED REGIME.

TODAY'S AXIOM IS THAT EVERY SIGNIFICANT POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EVENT WITHIN EACH COUNTRY IN EAST ASIA HAS REVERBERATIONS THAT IMPACT UPON THE COMMON FUTURE OF THE NATION. THIS WAS THE CONSENSUS IN MY MEETINGS IN JAPAN; THIS IS THE CONSENSUS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF ASIA.

JAPAN REMAINS AN IMPORTANT PILLAR IN THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF EAST ASIA GIVEN, AS I SAID, ITS HUGE CAPITAL AND ITS SHARP EDGE IN TECHNOLOGY -- THESE ARE INDISPENSABLE DRIVERS OF THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY OF THE 21st CENTURY.

I ADDRESSED TWO IMPORTANT CONFERENCES SEPARATELY SPONSORED BY THE TWO LARGEST MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS IN JAPAN -- NIKKEI AND MAINICHI SHIMBUN. PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI OF JAPAN, PRIME MINISTER MAHATHIR OF MALAYSIA AND PRIME MINISTER VORACHITH OF LAOS WERE ALL IN THE NIKKEI FORUM WITH ME.

AT THAT NIKKEI FORUM I SPOKE ON AN INTEGRATED EAST ASIAN ECONOMY, WHICH WOULD CREATE ONE MARKET OF TWO BILLION PEOPLE WITH RISING DISPOSABLE INCOMES. ALONG THE SAME TRACK, THE ASEAN-CHINA FREE TRADE AREA ENVISIONED WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS -- APPROVED EVEN BEFORE MY TERM AS PRESIDENT -- AND THE INDIVIDUAL ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS OF ASEAN MEMBERS WITH JAPAN, ARE STRONG REINFORCING ELEMENTS OF THE TREND TOWARDS EAST ASIAN ECONOMIC INTEGRATION.

I HAD A VERY SPIRITED AND VERY CORDIAL MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI. WE REINFORCED OUR BILATERAL RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THEMES OF MUTUAL CONFIDENCE AND EARNEST HOPES FOR SPEEDIER REGIONAL INTEGRATION. I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO OUTLINE MY VISION OF THE PHILIPPINE-JAPAN PARTNERSHIP -- OF MARCHING CLOSELY WITH JAPAN AND THE REST OF THE REGION -- CONSISTENT WITH PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI'S VIEW OF "WORKING AND ADVANCING TOGETHER" FOR EAST ASIA. IN PREPARATION FOR MY NEXT VISIT TO JAPAN -- BECAUSE JAPAN IS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO BE VISITED AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR, AS PRIME MINISTER MAHATHIR DOES ALL THE TIME FOR ALL THESE DECADES -- WE WILL BE WORKING OUT A POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROPOSAL FOR JAPAN TO FUND SIMILAR TO THAT WITH WHICH IT IS HELPING COUNTRIES LIKE AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN.

THE PHILIPPINES AND JAPAN ARE DEEPLY IMMERSED IN THE VISION OF ASIAN ECONOMIC INTEGRATION. BOTH COUNTRIES ARE COMMITTED TO STUDYING THE POSSIBILITY OF FORGING A BILATERAL ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT OR E.P.A. THAT WILL SPELL OUT THE FRAMEWORK TO HASTEN THE PROCESS OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION.

THIS E.P.A. WILL ENCOMPASS NOT JUST TRADE, IT WILL ALSO COVER THE MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONS AND SKILLS, HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS. IT WILL FACILITATE THE ACCESS OF OUR I.T. PROFESSIONALS AND OUR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IN THE JAPANESE MARKET. PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI AND I AGREED TO HAVE A JOINT STUDY GROUP TO LOOK INTO THE SETTING UP OF THIS PARTNERSHIP. THIS WORKING STUDY GROUP IS LED BY SECRETARY OF TRADE MANUEL ROXAS ON THE PHILIPPINE SIDE AND HIS COUNTERPART ON THE JAPANESE SIDE.

I HAD MEETINGS WITH BUSINESS LEADERS FROM THE TOP JAPANESE FIRMS LIKE SUMITOMO, MITSUI, MARUBENI, MITSUBISHI, TOMEN, HONDA, TOYOTA, SANYO ELECTRIC. I REASSURED THE BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE SOUND INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES AND OUR DETERMINED EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE PEACE AND ORDER SITUATION.

I MET WITH MEMBERS OF THE JAPAN FEDERATION OF ECONOMIC ORGANIZATIONS OR KEIDANREN, WHICH IS THE ORGANIZATION OF THE TOP BUSINESS LEADERS OF JAPAN. I ALSO MET WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CAR MANUFACTURING SECTOR AND WITH THE LEADERS OF THE JAPAN SHIPPING INDUSTRY.

IN MY MEETING WITH KEIDANREN, I SPOKE OF OUR READINESS TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO JAPAN'S AGING CITIZENS -- BECAUSE JAPAN HAS AN AGING POPULATION WHILE WE HAVE A YOUNG POPULATION WITH MANY HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND PROFESSIONALS. OUR TOURISM PROGRAM CAN BE BOLSTERED BY "MEDICAL CHECK UP TOURISM" IN OUR RENOWNED MEDICAL CENTERS. AND ALSO CAREGIVER FACILITIES CAN BE SET UP IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR ECONOMIC ZONES SO THAT JAPANESE EXPATRIATE COMMUNITIES CAN BE DEVELOPED IN TANDEM WITH INVESTMENT VENTURES IN NURSING CARE IN THOSE AREAS.

ON THE CAR MANUFACTURING SECTOR, THE JAPANESE ARE READY TO EXPAND THEIR PRESENT FACILITIES TO A HIGHER STAGE OF C.B.U. OR COMPLETE BODY UNITS OR COMPLETED BUILT UP UNITS AND CAR PARTS MANUFACTURING IN THE PHILIPPINES FOR THE WORLD MARKET. I AM ENCOURAGED BY THE DECISION MADE BY HONDA CORPORATION, FOR INSTANCE, TO SET-UP A TRANSMISSION PLANT IN THE PHILIPPINES. IN MY LAST VISIT TO JAPAN LAST SEPTEMBER, THEY SAID THEY WOULD SET UP THIS TRANSMISSION PLANT FOR THE ASEAN MARKET. NOW, IN THIS LATEST VISIT, THEY SAID THEY WILL SET IT UP FOR THE WORLD MARKET RATHER THAN JUST THE ASEAN MARKET. THIS WILL MEAN MORE INVESTMENTS AND MORE JOBS.

I ASSURED THE JAPANESE INVESTORS OF OUR COMMITMENT TO INDUSTRIAL PEACE THROUGH A SPECIAL TEAM HEADED BY SECRETARY ROXAS AND SECRETARY STO. TOMAS OF THE DTI AND THE DOLE. WE AGREED TO JOIN HANDS IN ESTABLISHING MORE PROACTIVE COOPERATION IN INDUSTRIAL PEACE.

ON THE PART OF THE SHIPOWNERS, THEY ASSURED ME OF THE CONTINUED HIRING OF OUR HIGHLY SKILLED SEAFARERS. ON TOP OF THIS, OUR SEAMEN CAN NOW ALSO TAKE QUALIFYING EXAMS FOR MANAGEMENT POSITIONS IN JAPANESE VESSELS -- ITO AY ISANG PRIBILEHIYO NA BINIBIGAY NG JAPAN PARA SA PILIPINAS LAMANG.

I MET WITH LEADERS OF THE DIET, BOTH FROM THE MAJORITY AND THE OPPOSITION. THEY HAVE CONTINUING FAITH IN OUR COUNTRY AND OUR PEOPLE.

I HAD A HAPPY MOMENT WITH THE LEADERS OF THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN WESTERN JAPAN, IN OSAKA. THEY ARE VERY PROUD OF OUR COUNTRY'S REMARKABLE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE BECAUSE THEY CAN FEEL FROM PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE THE REGIONAL DIFFICULTIES, THE REGIONAL CHALLENGES THAT THEY HAVE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF, AND THEY ARE PROUD AND THEY KNOW WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT IT IS THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED OUR POSITIVE GROWTH RATES, A REDUCTION IN INTEREST RATES, A REDUCTION IN INFLATION RATES. THEY CAN APPRECIATE THAT THESE ARE ALL THE MORE REMARKABLE GIVEN THE REGIONAL DIFFICULTIES. THEY ALSO URGED OUR GOVERNMENT TO DEEPEN OUR LINKS WITH JAPANESE AGENCIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE. I THANKED THEM FOR THEIR ROLE IN KEEPING OUR ECONOMY STRONG AND FOR THEIR HEARTY REMITTANCES TO THE PHILIPPINES.

THE FUTURE OF EAST ASIA NOW MOVES INEXORABLY FORWARD, BUT WE MUST ALSO TAKE NOTE OF ITS ATTENDANT CONSTRAINTS. THERE IS STILL A WIDE DISPARITY IN WEALTH AMONG THE COUNTRIES IN THE REGION AS WELL AS WITHIN THE INTERNAL BOUNDARIES OF THE COUNTRIES OF EAST ASIA INCLUDING OUR OWN. BUT THE GOOD THING IS THAT THE MORE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ONCE AGAIN RECOGNIZE THEIR OBLIGATION TO NURTURE THE WEAKER ONES ON THE BASIS OF MORE EQUITABLE RELATIONSHIPS. THE MORE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ONCE AGAIN RECOGNIZE THE OBLIGATION TO HELP FIGHT THE SCOURGE OF ABJECT POVERTY WITHIN THE WEAKER ECONOMIES. ALL OF THESE HAPPENED IN THE AFTERMATH OF SEPTEMBER 11. NOW, ONCE AGAIN, THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES RECOGNIZE THAT HELPING THE WEAKER COUNTRIES, HELPING THE POOR ESPECIALLY IN THESE WEAKER COUNTRIES IS THE ONLY WAY THE LONG-TERM ENDS OF REGIONAL STABILITY AND SECURITY CAN BE ATTAINED.

IN THIS LIGHT, I URGED THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO LEAD IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND STRENGTHENING OF INSTITUTIONS DEALING WITH POLITICAL AND SECURITY ISSUES IN OUR REGION. WE NEED A MORE SYMMETRIC BALANCE BETWEEN OUR ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS WHICH ARE QUITE ADVANCED IN ASEAN AND EAST ASIA, AND OUR POLITICAL-SECURITY INSTITUTIONS WHICH ARE QUITE FAR BEHIND THOSE OF EUROPE, AFRICA AND THE AMERICAS. THIS IS ONE WAY WE CAN ASSURE OURSELVES OF BETTER PROSPECTS FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN EAST ASIA FOR THE 21st CENTURY.

ALL IN ALL, MY TRIP WAS ABOUT REGIONAL SOLIDARITY AND INTEGRATION, ABOUT THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM AND THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY, ABOUT THE CREATION OF WEALTH AND OPPORTUNITY IN THE LARGEST POTENTIAL MARKET IN THE WORLD, WHICH IS EAST ASIA WHERE WE ARE A PART.

WE ARE PART OF A LARGER WORLD -- THE PHILIPPINES -- AND WE MUST BE PREPARED TO FACE ITS CHALLENGES AND PITFALLS. WHILE OUR NATIONAL INTEREST LIES IN RECOGNIZING THE INEVITABILITY OF OPENNESS, IT MUST BE CHARACTERIZED BY STRENGTH AND ENLIGHTENMENT, BY A STRONG PHILIPPINES THAT CAN ADAPT AND REMAIN RESILIENT AMID THE BUFFETING WINDS OF THE 21st CENTURY.

OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH JAPAN IS SECURE, VIBRANT, INFUSED WITH CONFIDENCE. IT WILL SERVE US WELL IN THE YEARS AHEAD.

I THANK THE LORD FOR HIS BLESSINGS, AND I THANK OUR PEOPLE FOR YOUR FAITH AND SUPPORT.

THANK YOU.

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