Zubiri, Romualdez look forward to Kishida’s speech in Congress

Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam of India.

The other four instances are: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in April 2005, China President Hu Jintao also in April 2005, United States President George W. Bush in 2003, and US President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960.

Zubiri said in a statement that Kishida’s visit will “strengthen cooperation between two allies in confronting common challenges.”

“We look forward to the address of a leader of a nation that is a robust trading partner, a strong security ally, a lending hand during calamities, and an investor in Philippine progress,” Zubiri said.

Kishida’s address before Philippine lawmakers is the highlight of the Japanese leader’s upcoming two-day visit in the country.

“We warmly welcome His Excellency Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, on his significant official visit to our country on Nov. 3 and 4 this year. It is with great anticipation that we look forward to his address to the Congress of the Republic of the Philippines in a Special Joint Session on Nov. 4, 2023, at 11 in the morning,” Romualdez said in a statement. “The House of Representatives, as the honored venue host of this significant event in the Batasang Pambansa Complex, is committed to exerting all efforts to ensure that Prime Minister Kishida’s visit is both fruitful and memorable.”

Romualdez, head of the 300-plus strong House, said the visit of Kishida and wife Yuko to meet President Marcos will mark another significant milestone in the strong diplomatic alliance of the Philippines and Japanese governments.

“We are optimistic that through our discussions, new pathways for collaboration and development will emerge, promising enhanced opportunities and a brighter future for all Filipinos, here and in Japan,” said Romualdez, Leyte’s 1st district representative.

Strengthening ties

The speaker said the visit is expected to cover a wide range of very important topics, with a focus on strengthening the excellent relations and exploring opportunities for the two countries.

He said the Philippines and Japan are committed to turning the twoday visit into concrete collaborations that will not only strengthen bilateral relations but also contribute to global peace and prosperity.

“This visit, symbolizing the deep and longstanding bond our nations have forged, built on mutual respect, shared values, and a unified vision for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-pacific region, signifies the strength of our bilateral ties,” Romualdez stressed.

“On behalf of the Filipino people, I extend our heartfelt appreciation to Prime Minister Kishida and wish him a successful and impactful visit to our shores,” Romualdez concluded.

People-to-people relations

Deeper than government ties, Zubiri said, are “people-to-people relations nurtured by tourism where citizens of one country enjoy the hospitality and culture of the other.”

Zubiri said Japan is the largest bilateral source of the Philippines’ official development assistance (ODA).

According to data from the Department of Finance (DOF), ODA from Japan amounted to $14.139 billion or ₱7.77 trillion over a 20-year period spanning three presidencies from 2001 to 2020, accounting for 72 percent of all $19.656 billion total bilateral loan portfolio for the same period.

In fact, during President Marcos’ visit to Tokyo this April, Japan has pledged ₱250 billion in aid to the Philippines in the next two years to assist the country in its bid to reach middle-income status by 2025.

At 9 a.m. on Nov. 4, both the Senate and the House of Representatives will convene separately to pass two resolutions: one for Kishida and another to convene the joint session.

The scheduled 11 a.m. address at the Batasan Complex is a result of Zubiri’s personal invitation to Kishida during a Philippine Senate delegation’s visit to

Tokyo in April this year.

“We are honored that the good prime minister accepted our invitation for him to address the Filipino people through Congress,” Zubiri said.

The Nov. 4 session is considered a special session, since Congress (House and Senate) is still on legislative recess. The two chambers are set to reconvene separately on Monday, Nov. 6.

Zubiri was on two official visits to Japan this year: first as part of the delegation of President Marcos in February and second as head of a delegation from the Philippine Senate in April for a parliamentary visit.

On both occasions, it was the Senate chief who broached the idea of the possibility of a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan, an enhanced security arrangement.

Zubiri said he expects government officials to brief Kishida on the progress of Japanese-supported big-ticket infrastructure projects, especially on rail such as the Manila subway.