JICA marks 50 years of Japanese volunteers in PH this year

The Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) commemorates this year the 50 years of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) Program in the Philippines as tribute to more than 1,500 young Japanese dispatched to the country supporting development work.

More than 500Philippine government, non-government organizations, academe, and local government units (LGUs) were assisted by the JOCVs in the Philippines since the 1960s.

“The JOCVs dispatched to the Philippines significantly contributed to human resource development in the country. They shared Japanese technology, work ethics, and values with their Filipino counterparts,” said Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) executive director Joselito de Vera.

Over the years, the program has been aligned with JICA’s development agenda in the country under the three pillars supporting sustainable economic growth, overcoming vulnerability, and enhancing basic social services.

“For more than five decades, the JOCV program is testament of the strong ties between Japan and the Philippines. We hope that through the JOCV program, we’ll continue to make a difference in the lives of Filipinos and transform communities,” said JICA Chief Representative in the Philippines NoriakiNiwa.

The Philippines was among the first five countries where Japan sent its early volunteers to support development work. Historically, first Japanese volunteers in the Philippines were assigned to share Japanese knowledge and experience in agriculture and rural development in the under the then Presidential Arms on Community Development (PACD) and local communities in La Trinidad in Benguet, La Union Province, and Palawan.

JICA’s JOCV Program, which involves 20-39 years old Japanese professionals, has been providing technical assistance to developing countries like the Philippines. JOCVs in the country actively supported various sub-sectors including manufacturing, human resource development, health, agriculture, tourism, and public works among others.

The JOCV program continued to foster knowledge sharing and strong ties between Japan and the Philippines. In 2014, a Japanese volunteer in Bohol introduced the country’s first fabrication laboratory or FabLab, a design and creation network for grassroots communities where small enterprises and manufacturers can translate their design ideas into actual forms. President Benigno Aquino III inaugurated the facility in 2014.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Provincial Director in Bohol Ma Elena C. Arbon, the FabLab has been “helping communities and SMEs develop skills and create products and services.”

To date, Japanese volunteers have also been supporting disaster risk reduction (DRR), education, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and various community development areas nationwide.

It was in 1966 when Japan and the Philippines signed the Exchange of Notes for the first dispatch of JOCVs in the country.