Congress will hold a special joint session on Nov. 4, Saturday, to welcome Japanese Prime Fumio Kishida who will be in the country for a two-day official visit – only the fifth time in the legislature’s history that such an honor is extended to a foreign head of state
Speaker Martin Romualdez said Kishida’s visit from Nov. 3 to 4 is expected to open new doors of collaboration that are mutually beneficial to the two countries.
“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,” Romualdez said.
“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,” he added.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri even deeper than government ties are the “people-to-people relations nurtured by tourism where citizens of one country enjoy the hospitality and culture of the other.”
“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,” he said.
The last time the House of Representatives and the Senate convened to hear and receive a message from a visiting head of a nation was in February 2006 for Indian President Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam.
The other four instances were the visits of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in April 2005; Chinese President Hu Jintao also in April 2005; US President George W. Bush in 2003; and US President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960.
“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 said.
Japan is the Philippines’ largest bilateral source of official development assistance.
Data from the Department of Finance showed that ODA from Japan amounted to $14.139 billion or P7.77 trillion over a 20-year period spanning three presidencies from 2001 to 2020.
This accounted for 72 percent of all $19.656 billion total bilateral loan portfolio for the same period.
During President Marcos’ visit to Tokyo in April, Japan also pledged P250 billion in aid in the next two years to help the Philippines 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 to invite Kishida and another to convene the joint session.
At 11 a.m., Kishida will deliver his address before members of Congress.
