Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Saturday said he is hopeful that the proposed Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between Japan and the Philippines would not lead to cases of abuse against Filipinos, particularly women.
Romualdez made the statement at the sidelines of the special joint session of Congress that was addressed by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, who is in Manila for an official two-day visit.
“That won’t be the case, because, of course, we’re aware that in this day and age, mass media, technology, social media, we are very sensitive to those issues,” Romualdez said, as he allayed fears over the planned military access agreement.
“We have learned from our experiences in the past. The respect that we give not only to our women but to our fellow Filipinos is plain to see,” the House leader added.
“This is especially true with our relations to foreigners, those who visit us. That’s why we have very, very high confidence that our relations with RAA will be very smooth,” Romualdez said.
The proposed RAA, which needs the approval of Congress, is the Philippines-Japan equivalent to the Visiting Forces Agreement of the country with the United States (US).
Prior to the special joint session, President Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed Friday to bolster defense cooperation between their countries amid China’s expanding military presence in the region.
At their meeting in Malacanang, Kishida and Mr. Marcos confirmed they will begin negotiations on a new bilateral treaty or the RAA to strengthen security ties and facilitate joint defense drills, government sources said.
It will be Japan’s first RAA with a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the third following pacts with Australia and Britain that took effect earlier this year.