THE2015YNUFIELDSTUDY‐TRIP
InthePhilippines
AgroupofeightstudentsandthreeprofessorsfromtheGraduate
schoolofInternationalSocialScienceswentonafield‐studyvisitto
thePhilippinesfromFebruary19toFebruary28,2015
ThestudytriptothePhilippinessinceitsinception2005hasproducedfruitfulforthe
student’sresearch.After10years,weagainparticipatedinourIBLAWfieldstudy‐trip
with the theme “In Quests for a Sustainable, Prosperous and PeacefulWorld”. Our
team,consistingofeightstudents fromJapan,Haiti,KoreaandVietnam,accompany
with twoprofessor, visitedmany agencies, authorities located inMetroManila and
LeyteIsland.
ListofParticipants
ProfessorsandStaff
Surname Givenname M/F Nationality
1 Kobayashi Takaaki M Japan Assoc.Prof
2 Kakee Tomoko F Japan Assoc.Prof
Students
Surname Givenname M/F Nationality
1 Tran VanLong M Vietnam D2
(Groupleader)
2 Kimura Kayo F Japan M1
AssistantG.Leader
3 Pontius Erskine F Haiti M2
4 Uto Takayuki M Japan M2
5 Tada Katsunari M Japan M2
6 Choi Inchul M Korea M1
7 Nozaki Taira M Japan U2
8 Kuwabara Yohei M Japan U1
Reportsfromstudentsinourstudytripareasfollows:
REPORTSBYSTUDENTS
GROUPREPORTS
TheJapanInternationalCooperateAgency(JICA)
DateandTime:February20,09:00–11:00H
Meeting place: 40/F Yuchengo Tower, RCBC Plaza, 6819, Alaya Ave,MakatiCity
TheJapanInternationalCooperateAgency(JICA)isanagencyofthegovernmentofJapanresponsibleforimplementingJapan’sOfficialDevelopmentAssistance(ODA)to developing countries. In the Philippines, JICA has been one of key developmentpartners since 1960s. JICA contributes to the Philippines by sharing Japan’stechnologyandknowledgewiththeFilipinos.
At first in this session, JICA staffs gave us some basic information about JICA’scooperationtothePhilippines.Table1belowstandsforthebilateralassistancetothePhilippinesandTable2isabouttechnicalcooperationtothePhilippines.
Table1:BilateralAssistancetothePhilippines(CY2011)
SchemeNetDisbursements
(USDMillion)
GrantAid 32.76
TCP 61.16
LoanAid 663.51
Source:Handoutinthesession.
Table2:JICA’sTechnicalCooperationtothePhilippines1asof2012
TrainingParticipantsinJapan 34,873people
ExpertsDispatched 7,111people
JOCV 1,521people
Source:Handoutinthesession.
ThegovernmentofJapanhasthefollowingthreepriorityissues/areasonitsODA
tothePhilippines.
1)AchievingSustainableEconomicGrowththroughFurtherPromotionofInvestment
⇒suchastransportation,energy,infrastructure,governance,etc
2)OvercomingVulnerabilityandStabilizingBasesforHumanLifeandProductionActivity
⇒suchasdisaster,environment,health,agriculture,etc
1ThePhilippinesisthethirdlargestrecipientcountriesoftechnicalcooperationbyJICA.
3)PeaceandDevelopmentinMindanao
⇒governance/humanresourcedevelopment,povertyreduction,etc
Among them, we heard an explanationabout ongoing projects focusing onrehabilitation and recovery from typhoon“Yolanda”(regardingpillar2)andthePasig‐MarikinaRiver channel improvement (pillar1and2).
In the project on rehabilitation andrecovery from typhoon Yolanda, thegovernmentof thePhilippinesemphasizes a
concept of “Build Back Better, Faster and Safer” as a national policy. The conceptmeansthatitisimportantfortyphoonaffectedareasnottoberestoredtoitsformerstate but to be revived “better” and “safer” thanpreviously. Based on this concept,variousprojectsarebeingimplemented.
Regarding the Pasig‐Marikina River channel improvement project, we received
anexplanationof itsoverview.Theprojectobjective is tomitigate flooddamage inMetroManilacausedbychanneloverflowof theriver,and thereby tocontribute tothe sustainable economic development in this area. The project components aredivided into twomeasures. One is structural measures including improvements ofriverwall, dike, and steel sheet pile. The other isNon‐structuralmeasures such asawarenesscampaign.Wewatchedavideoaboutthiscampaign.
Writer:TakayukiUTO
DepartmentofForeignAffairs(DFA)
TechnicalCooperationCouncilofthePhilippines(TCCP)
DateandTime:February20,14:30–16:30H
Meetingplace:6/FDepartmentofForeignAffairsBuilding,2330,RoxasBuilding,PasayCity
WevisitedtwoorganizationssuchasDFAandTCCPinordertogetinformationabout
diplomacy of Philippines, and DFA ambassador, Mr. JoseMa. A. Cariñor, gave us a
useful presentation about how the Philippines thinks of their diplomacy andwhat
goaltheyhave.Thepointsoftheexplanationareasfollows:
AboutDFA
1. DFAisfocusedonthesoftpowerdiplomacybecauselikeJapan,thePhilippines
doesnothave thebigpower suchusUnitedAmericahas, so they found the
waywhichissoftpowerdiplomacytodeveloptheireconomicandmaketheir
initiativesintheinternationalsociety.
2. SinceDFAisdoingthesoftpowerdiplomacythePhilippineswouldliketoget
alongwiththecountrieswhichhavethesamepolicyastheirs:thesoftpower
diplomacy.Especially,itistheimportantpointthatthePhilippinesandJapan
havethesamepolicyondiplomacy.
AboutTCCP
Executive Order No. 16 (September 1, 1992) created the Technical
CooperationCouncilof thePhilippines (TCCP),with theSecretaryofForeign
AffairsasChair and theDFAasSecretariat to theCouncil, to coordinateand
implement various cooperation schemes between the Philippines and other
developingcountries.
The Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines (TCCP) acts as the
national focal point for Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries
(TCDC)andas such implements a technical cooperationprogram in favorof
developingandleastdevelopedcountries(DCsandLDCs),coordinatesrelated
projects and activities implemented by government and non‐government
organizations, and undertakes research on the technical assistance
requirementsofDCsandLDCs.
TCCP will be tasked to play a pivotal role in the country’s soft power
diplomacy initiatives. TCCP has recommended changing its nomenclature to
the Philippines International Cooperation Agency (PICA) like Japan
International Cooperation Agency. Therefore, JICA is kind of the model for
theirpolicy.
OfficeoftheUndersecretaryforMigrantWorkersAffairs(OUMWA)
DateandTime:February20,16:30–17:30H
Meetingplace:6/FDepartmentofForeignAffairsBuilding,2330,RoxasBuilding,PasayCity
ThemigrationteamhadtovisitintotalsixplacesinthePhilippines:Officeofthe
Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA), International Labor
Organization (ILO), Commission of the Filipinos Overseas (CFO), Department Of
Labor and Employment (DOLE) , Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
(POEA) and OverseasWorkersWelfare Administration (OWWA). OUMWAwas the
firstdestination,thefirststepofwhatwasinfactagreatadventureinoursearchof
migrationrelateddiscoveries.Whenwearrivedtherewehadageneralpresentation
about OUMWA by the Ambassador Eric Andaya, after the welcome words of the
UndersecretaryJesusYabes.Wehadtheopportunitytoaccessthelegalsectionwhich
communicates with the embassies in the countries where the Philippines sent
migrant workers. We could have a short talk with the officers. There is one legal
officer for each country where there are Filipino workers. They are also in good
communicationandcoordinationwith theembassies.Wehadanotherpresentation
byanotherstaffmemberMr.Lorenzorwhohasbeenmanytimestoriskycountriesto
help,amongotherthings,rescueFilipinoindifficulties.HewasassistedbyMrsHazel,
alegalofficer.
ThegeneralpresentationbytheAmbassadorEricAndaya,theExecutiveDirectorof
OUMWA
Theofficeofthelegalofficers:oneforeachcountry
ThepresentationofMr.LorenzorjointlywithMrsHazel
Themeetingcouldbesummarizedasfollows.
OUMWAislocatedinthedepartmentofforeignaffairs.Itistheunitinchargeof
theoverallassistancetonationalsoperationsofthedepartmentof foreignaffairs. It
coordinates the activities regarding assistance to nationals provided by various
agencies.ItprovidesassistanceandlegalservicestoFilipinosoverseasindistress.It
formulates the relevant policies and makes recommendations. When there is a
problem they take over to resolve it. The office was created to provide strong
mechanismtohelptheFilipinooverseas. As for2013,US$1millionwerespenton
lawyers’expenditures.Theyhavealegalmandatewhichistomakesuretherightsof
the workers are respected during the judgments. They provide two kinds of
assistance:
1‐ Legal:theytakecareofcriminal,laborcase,appealofdeathpenalty
2‐ Consular: they deal withmaltreatment, repatriation, unpaid salaries, contract
distribution,andshipmentofremains.
OUMWA works in good cooperation with IOM (International Organization for
migration), theygiveandget feedback fromeachother.Theycooperate tohelp the
Filipinosoverseas.Itisimportanttonotethatinmostoftheplaceswehavebeento,
they keep saying that they don’t encourage or develop foreign employment; they
wanttomakeitachoice.Ifworkingabroadisthechoicetheymake,thegovernment
wantstomakesurethattheyareprotected.Theyalsohelpthemwhenasaresultof
this choice they are in trouble. As Mr Lorenzor said, they try to get them “out of
trouble”whethertheyareregularornot,eveniftheyareincountriesincrisis.
Writer:PontiusERSKINE
YokohamaNationalUniversityandUniversityofSantoTomas
JointSeminar2015
TheYNU‐UST Joint seminarwasheld on February21, 2015 at theGraduate
School–UniversityofSantoTomas.Thesessionbeginat8:30inthemorning.
The seminar opened with Philippines National Anthem. Professor Marilu R.
Madrunio,PhD.Dean,USTGraduateSchool,performedthewelcomeremarks.
The first presentation on “Spratly Island and International Law” was
performedbyProfessorKakeeTomoko.Shepresentedoneofahottopicrelatingto
International law, conflicts between China and Japan, China and the Philippines as
wellasotherSouthEastAsiancountriesregardingtheLawofsea.
“Entrepreneurial Education” was the second presentation, presented by Professor
Conrado Montemayor, PhD from University of Santo Tomas. He divided his
presentationintotwomodules:PrinciplesofEntrepreneurialeducationandApplied
entrepreneurialeducation.
YNUandUSTstudentsattheseminar
Pasig–MarikinaRiverChannelImprovementProject
DateandTime:February21,13:30–15:30H
Meetingplace:PasigRiver,Manila
ThePhilippines isknowntobeoneof thecountries thataremostvulnerable tonatural disasters.MetroManila has a population ofmore than 10million, but thisarea is subject to typhoon. Particularly, The Pasig – Marikina River flows throughurbanizedareawhichiseconomic/administrativecenterofthePhilippines,soafloodoftheriverhasaconsiderablynegativeimpactonPilipinosociety.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been implementing “Pasig –MarikinaRiver Channel Improvement Project” since 1999. This project is aimed toreduce flooddamage inMetroManilaby improvingPasig–Marikina river channel.TheprojectiscarriedoutbyajointventurebetweenTOYOCONSTRUCTIONCO.,LTD.andSHIMIZUCORPORATION,bothareJapanesecompanies.
WevisitedtheprojectsiteinordertounderstandhowJICA’sprojectisimplemented in the Philippines asdevelopingcountry.
The engineering representativeallowed us to inspect the projectsitefromontheboats,sowewereable to look around the sitecomfortably.
While inspecting, we observedthat there were many residencesnear to the river.According to theexplanation, some people have nochoice but to live there for avariety of reasons despite it isillegal. The companies (TOYO –SHIMIZU JV) said they tried tonegotiate with them for theirmoving, but they have manydifficulties. It is important for the“inclusive” development of thePhilippines to eliminate thisdilemma.
Ontheotherhand,wealsoobservedfromontheboatsthattherearemanyhighrisebuildingsneartotheriver.WecouldcatchaglimpseoftwoaspectsofthePilipinosociety.
We learnt a lot through visiting one of Japan’s Official Development Assistance(ODA) project site and seeing workers involved with it. We appreciate TOYO –SHIMIZU JV so much. We couldn’t have such a great opportunity without theircooperation.
Writer:TakayukiUTO
GrandspanDevelopmentCorporation(GDC)
DateandTime:February21,16:30–17:30H
Meetingplace:PasigRiver,Manila
Grandspan Development
Corporation (GDC) is an
internationally recognized steel
fabrication company established in
1979.GDCdealswithsteelfabrication,
tubularsection,trailermanufacturing,
hauling equipment and general
construction. Its steel products have
passedrigorousqualitystandards2.
We visited its factory because GDC makes the steel piles for the “Pasig‐
MarikinaRiverChannelImprovementProject”wealsovisitedinthisstudyprogram.
Althoughtheoperationonthatdaywasfinished,wewereabletoobservehuge
factory.WeappreciateMr.AlfredS.Tiu(theCEOofGDC)somuch.Wehadavaluable
experience.
2 Grandspan Development Corporation: http://www.grandspan.ph/ (accessed 14/03/2015)
TheCityMayorofGuiuan
DateandTime:February22,09:00–15:00H
Meetingplace:TheCityhallofGuiuan
Wevisited the city hall of Guiuan inorder to get some information abouthow they are recovering from badsituationmadeby typhoonYolanda.Wehad a chance to ask some questions tothemayor of Guiuan. The points of theexplanationareasfollows:
Guiuanisasecond‐classmunicipality
in the province of Eastern Samar,
Philippines.Asofthe2010census,ithad
a population of 47,037 people. However, a lot of people died due to the typhoon
Yolanda.
Atthetimeoftyphoonhit,thebigproblemwasthattheycouldnotcontactwith
other governments because the infrastructure on communication was damaged.
However, as soon as the typhoon hit, many assistance came to Guiuan city from
organizationslikeinternationalNGOsandothercitiesthatdidnotaffecteddespiteof
unabletocontactwithoutsideofGuiuan.
ThecityhallofGuiuanwasbadlydamagedbytyphoon, thereforethecityhall is
still located in the temporally houses. However, some houses are actually perment
housesbecausetheycannotaffordtohavenewfacilities.
In the Guiuan city, there are some buildings like day care center under the
construction by JICA. JICA projects created some opportunities for local people to
workforJICAprojects.TheyappreciateforeigncountriesassistancelikeJICAdoes.
Writer:KatsunariTADA
TheProvincialGovernorofLeyte
DateandTime:February23,08:00–11:00H
Meetingplace:TheProvincialGovernorofLeyte
WevisitedtheprovincialgovernorofLeyte inordertograsptheinformationabout
howprovincial government didwhen typhoonYolandahit the Leyte Islandsbadly.
Wehad anopportunity to interviewwithHon.Ranulfo "BOB" S.Abellanosawho is
one of the board members Leyte province. The points of the explanation are as
follows:
1. Leyte is aprovince thePhilippines located in theEasternVisayas region. Its
capitalisTaclobanCityandoccupiesthenorthernthree‐quartersoftheisland
of Leyte. The province
ofLeyteislocatedwest
of Samar Island, north
of Southern Leyte and
southofBiliran.To the
westofLeyteacrossthe
Camotes Sea is Cebu
province. On 8
November 2013, the
province was largely
destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), killing a reported 10,000
people,havingpreviouslysufferedsimilardestructionandlossoflifein1991
duringtyphoonThelma.
2. There was no
communication problem
between the Provincial
GovernorofLeyteandother
governments in the
Philippines, but some
people living in Tacloban
city,whoIinterviewed,said
that there was a problem
because The Provincial
GovernorofLeytecouldnot
inform the correct number of dead persons to national government so that
peoplewhoaffectedbytyphooncouldnotgetenoughsupportsoonafterthe
typhoonhit.
Writer:KatsunariTADA
Watching the recovery of rural public health centre from the damage oftyphoon
DateandTime:February23,13:00–14:00H
We visited at one of
thevillagenearTacloban
on the afternoon
February23rd. Iwas just
impressed the situation
in which many peoples
even now live in
temporaryhouse. In that
area, JICA have been
constructing public
health care centre. I
learned that JICA also
running these business first. They also try to construct community hall and high
school. Theywould like to enhance vibrancy of that region. Their keyword is that
“buildbackbetter”.Wejusthopethatconstructiongoessuccessfullyandthevillage
buildbackbetter.
Writer:YOHEIKuwabara
TheTaclobanCityHall
DateandTime:February23,14:00–16:00H
Meetingplace:TaclobanCity
We visited Tacloban City in the Leyte Island. This area suffered seriousdamageinthetyphoon“Yolanda”in2013.Thecityisontheroadtorestorationfromit.WemetMrs.CristinaGonzales‐Romualdez,thewifeofthecitymayorofTacloban(atthesametimesheisaCityCouncilor)inordertohearofthesituationatthattimeYolandahitthereandpresentissues.
She kindly told us thatthe city was confronted withmany difficulties includingrecover and restoration. Themost impressive story to mewas about the distribution ofthe relief supplies. Sheexplained that it was difficultfor the municipal to decide“Where” “What” “How” todeliver the huge amounts ofsupport commodities. Thisstory means that it isimportant that recipients of
assistance also should make elaborate preparations against cases of emergency.Howevershethankeddonorsfortheirsupport.Therewasa listoforganizationsonthe blackboard meaning these organizations including international organizationsandNGOswereverycooperativewiththemunicipal.
At the session,wetalked unexpectedlyabout the relationshipbetween Tacloban Cityand Fukuyama city inHiroshima prefecture,Japan. They have had aspecial treaty offriendship since 1980. Infact, we found sometrucks which the word“Fukuyama” was writtenon the body of them. Ithappened that professorKakee came fromFukuyamaCity,sowegotexcitedovertalkingaboutit(Actually,Ialsohavelivedinthecity).
WerealizedTaclobanCityandJapanhaveacloseties,soweshouldmaintaintherelationsbycooperatingeachother.
Weappreciatewhatshehasgivenusthisopportunityinspiteofherconditionofbeingbusy.
Writer:TakayukiUTO
WatchingtherecoveryoftheCathedral,Tacloban
DateandTime:February23,16:00–16:30H
WevisitedthecathedralthatawaythananhourfrommyTaclobanAirport.The
Cathedral, take a lot of damage for super typhoon, was now in progress the new
construction.Itwasthesitewherewecanfeelthesupertyphoonofpowerin2013.
Cathedral of roofmadeof concrete, andmanyof thebuildingsweredestroyed in a
hugewind.Fatherof thiscathedralwasexplainedtousthedamagesituationofthe
typhoon, Father told us to guide the current construction site. After you visit the
damagedsite,theyprovideduswithFilipinofood.Thefoodwasuniqueandwasvery
delicious.Araki,Kobayashi,ProfessorKakee,donatedforthecathedralofrepair.
Thephotoaboveiscathedralsthatweredamagedbythetyphoon.
Reporter:CHOIInchul
InternationalLabourOrganization(ILO)CountryOfficeforthePhilippines
DateandTime:February25,09:00–11:00H
Meetingplace:19FYuchengcoTower,RCBCPlaza,6819AyalaAvenue,MakatiCity
The migration team visited International Labour Organization Country Office
(ILO) for the Philippines in themorning on February 25. ILO is one of the United
Nations’specializedagenciesthatdealswithlaborproblems.ThestaffofILO,Ms.Ma
ConcepcionSardañaandMs.CatherineCalalayLaws,welcomedusandgaveus two
presentations about information of migrant workers, ILO’s general works and its
programstosupportmigrationworkers.
First, Ms. Sardaña
explained the basic
informationandworksofILO.
The points of the explanation
areasfollows:
1.ILOwasestablishedin1919
to promote social justice
and internationally
recognized human and
labor rights through
“Rights at work”, “Social
protection”, “Employment
opportunities” and “Social
dialog”.
2. Its uniqueness is “tripartite” structure. This structure consists of governments,
employersandworkersorganizationsandILOencouragesthemtopromotesocial
dialogbetweenthemtosolvesocial,economicandmanyotherissues.
3. ILO aims to promote “decent work” that means a productive work. However,
“decentwork”doesn’tmean“justworking”,but“theworkthatprotectstherights
ofworkersandgeneratesenoughincome”.
4. To achieve the four points that are mentioned in 1, ILO has conducted many
programs with other organizations such as International Organization for
Migration(IOM),FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(FAO),
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) and many NGOs.
Implementing partners also include national and local governments, employers
andworkers.
Next,Ms.Lawsgaveusthepresentationaboutgeneralinformationaboutmigrant
workersandILO’sprogramsforthem.Thedetailsofitareasfollows:
1.Thereare105.5millionmigrantworkers in theworld.30%of themare inAsia
and14millionmigrantworkersarestayinginASEANcountries.
2. Regarding the Philippines, 10% of its population (10.5 million) are working
abroadand10%ofitsGDP(26.9billionUSD)comesfromtheirremittances.The
mostofthetop10destinationsofOverseasFilipinoWorkers(OFWs)areMiddle
EastcountriesandAsiancountries.
3. The drives of migration are economic disparities, demographic changes, labor
shortages and wage differentials among developing countries and developed
countries. There aremany issues and challengeswithmigrantworkers such as
healthproblems,employmentconditionsandirregularmigrationflows.
4. ILO is a specialized organization of United Nations that deals with migration
workers. It supports them by strengthening the efforts of social partners who
provide direct services to migrant workers. Also, ILO has been promoting
standardsofmigrationpolicyandtherightsofmigrantworkers.
5. Currently, ILO Manila implements ASEAN TRIANGLE Projects, which aims to
strengthen regional legal and policy framework to more effectively govern
migration and protect the rights of migrant workers in a gender responsive
manner.ILOalsoestablishedAsia‐PacificKnowledgeNetworkonMigration(AP‐
MagNet) in which professionals and practitioners can share, debate on and
leverage technical and practical knowledge on labor migration and human
trafficking.
Writer:KAYOKimura
BoardofInvestment(BOI)
DateandTime:February25,09:00–10:30H
Meetingplace:GroundFour,IndustryandInvestmentBuilding,385Sen,GilPuyatAve,MakatiCity
OurpurposeofvisitingBOIwasresearchofactivitiesofBOI,Philippineeconomy
and investment environment of the Philippines. BOI is the national investment
promotionagencyofthegovernment.
Their activities are based on the governments set goals of encouraging more
economic activities that will take the country to a higher level of global
competitiveness and opening more opportunities that will generate more gainful
employment for thepeople.Forexample, theyhave suchactivitiesasduediligence
assistance, business registration facilitation and aftercare service. And they make
competitiveinvestmentincentives.
Accordingtotheirpresentation,thereare“Magical10IndicationsofaGrowing
Philippine Economy”. They are stable and resilient economic growth, continuous
inflow of OFW remittances, steady export growth, steady investment flows, robust
domestic financial sector coupled with credit growth, efficient revenue collection,
improvingglobalcompetitivenessranking,dynamicpeople,strengthenedgovernance
andanti‐corruptionmeasures,creditratings.Moreover thereare fiveadvantagesof
businessinPhilippines.Theyarerichtalentpool,infrastructuredevelopment,critical
marketaccess,first‐classlifestyleandcompetitiveinvestmentincentives.
I thought Philippines have a lot of advantages of business after their
presentation.However,Philippineswilldevelopmoreandmore.Philippinesmustbe
moreimportantpartnerforJapaninthefuture.
Writer:TAIRANozaki
MitsubishiCorporation
DateandTime:February25,10:30–12:00H
Meetingplace:14/FLVLocsinBuilding,6752AlayaAve,MakatiCity
On 25th February, we visited Mitsubishi Corporation Manila branch. Mitsubishi
Corporation is oneof largestgeneral trading companies in Japanas youknow.The
purpose of visiting this Manila branch is research of international business and
Japanesecompanywhichismovingoverseas.MitsubishiCorp.wasestablishin1870
as “Tsukumo Shokai”. And the name was changed later. In 1947, after WWⅡ,
Mitsubishi and other conglomerates were forced to dissolve. Mitsubishi Corp. has
over 200 offices or subsidiaries in over 90 countries. Manila branch is one of the
oldestinthem.Mitsubishihasalotofkindsofbusiness,forexample, infrastructure,
energy, chemicals, industrial finance and so on.Mitsubishi Corp. began to trade in
Philippinesmore than60years ago and they gotpartnershipwithAyalaCorp.The
reasonwhytheygotthepartnershipwassheeraccident.AyalaCorp.waslookingfor
Japanese company in theMarcos administration to get business know‐how. At the
time,Mitsubishi corp.hadalreadyabranch in thePhilippines soAyalaCorp. chose
Mitsubishiasapartner.MitsubishiCorp. isdevelopingseveralbusinessallover the
Philippines.Forexample,inDavaothereisDavaoCentralChemicalCorp.asapartner
and in Laguna they develop electric plant. In Philippines there is unique culture,
custom and demand. To success business in the Philippines, you should consider
them.
Writer:TAIRANozaki
CommissionForFilipinoOverseas(CFO)
DateandTime:February25,14:00–16:00H
Meeting place: 1345 Pres, Quirino Avenue Corner, Osmena Highway,Manila
Themigrationteam,composedofmembersoftheYokohamaNationalUniversity
(YNU) delegation and of University of Santo Thomas (UST), visited the CFO on
Wednesday,February25th2015.Wemettworesponsible:Mr.ElfredUlyssesG.del
Rosario ,Mr. GregorioM. Jabal. They showedus a video andmadepresentationabout theCFOactivitiesandprojects.After thatwehada “QuestionsandAnswers”
session.
Whatistobenotedfromourmeetingisthat:
CFOwascreatedbytheBatasPambasaBlg79to:
‐ Provideassistance to thePresidentandthecongressof thePhilippines in the
formulationofpoliciesandmeasuresconcerningoraffectingFilipinosoverseas.
‐ Developandimplementprogramsinordertopromotetheirinterestsandfavor
theirwell‐being.
‐ Serve as a forum for the preservation and the enhancement of the cultural,
socialandeconomictiesoftheFilipinosabroadwiththeirhomecountry.
Itsclientsaremorespecifically:
‐ theFilipinospermanentresidents
‐ thenaturalizedFilipinosorwhohavedualcitizenship
‐ Filipinosspousesorpartnerofforeignnationals
‐ DescendantsofoverseasFilipinos
‐ Participantsofexchangevisitorsprograms
‐ YouthFilipinosoverseas
For2012,theyestimatedtheFilipinosoverseasat10.5millionsinmorethan200
countries. Among this number 47% are permanent, 40% temporary workers and
13% irregular. The CFO is taking care of the Filipinos pertaining to the permanent
residents’categoryexclusively.Thetemporaryworkersareundertheresponsibility
ofPOEAandOWWAandtheirfamilymembersundertheOWWA.Allthoseagencies
workaccordingtoacountryteamapproachandcoordinateverywellwitheachother.
Its frontline services include PDOS (Pre‐Departure Orientation Seminar) for
permanentvisasholdersfrom20to59yearsold.Forthoseof60,onlyregistrationis
requiredsimilarlytothechildrenfrom12andunder.Theyprovidepeercounseling
tothem.
Writer:KAYOKimura
AyalaCorporation
DateandTime:February25,14:00–16:00H
Meetingplace:25/FRomuloLounge,TowerOne,AyalaTriangle,AlayaAve,MakatiCity
TherearealotofconglomerateinthePhilippines.AyalaCorporationisoneof
the oldest conglomerate. In Japan, there are few conglomerate, somainpurpose of
thisvisitwastoresearchmechanism,advantage,anddisadvantageofconglomerate.
Conglomerate is a large company formed by joining together different firms. Ayala
Corp. is formedbyAyalaLand(realestate),Bankof thePhilippine Island(financial
services), Globe (telecommunications), MANILA WATER (water utility) and IMI
(manufacturing) as listed businesses, and ac energy (power generation), AC INFRA
(transport infrastructure), Live it (BPO and education), Ayala Automotive
(automotive)asnon‐listedbusinesses.AmidstthePhilippineseconomicgrowth,their
unique portfolio of businesses provides various engines for growth and
diversification. Advantage of conglomerate is that they can adapt to changing
Philippineeconomybychanging theirportfolioofbusinesses. Important factor that
couldmakeadifferencetooperationofcompanyincludeothereconomicconditions
affectingdemand,supplyandpriceconditionsinthedomesticandoverseasmarkets
in which the company operates, changes in government regulations, tax laws, and
other statutes and incidental factors. On the other hand, disadvantage of
conglomerate is that it takes long time to learn the business very well when they
advanceintoanewbusiness.AyalaCorp.alsocontributetosocietyofPhilippines.For
example,theydevelopedMakati,whichisoneofthemostimportantcitiesinbusiness
ofPhilippines.Thelandwasownedbythemforalongtime,sotheycoulddo.Ayala
Corp.havestrongconnectionwithJapan.Forexample,AyalaLand,MANILAWATER
and ac energy have developed strategic, long‐term partnership with Mitsubishi to
ensuresuccess.
Writer:TAIRANozaki
DepartmentofLaborandEmployment(DOLE)
DateandTime:February26,09:00–11:00H
Meetingplace:DOLEBuilding,MurralaWingCorner,GenmeralLunaSt.
ThemigrationteamvisitedtheDepartmentofLaborandEmployment(DOLE)in
themorningonFebruary26.DOLEisagovernmentagencythathassomespecialized
organization such as Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), National
Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), and Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration(POEA).
Atthebeginningofthemeeting,UndersecretaryMr.CiriacoA.LagunzadⅢgaveus
warmwelcome remarks. After that, the staff fromOWWAandNRCO explained the
worksofeachorganization.Aftertheintroductoryremarksoftheundersecretary,Ms.
CarmelinaF.Velasquez,DirectorofOWWA,gaveuspresentation.Thedetailsareas
follows:
1.SomeofthetrusteesofOWWAcomefromotherrelatedagenciessuchasPOEAand
OfficeoftheUndersecretaryofMigrantWorkersAffaires(OUMWA).Themandates
ofOWWAareasbelow:
a)Developmentanddeliveryofwelfareprogramsandservices.
b)Ensurethecapitalbuilt‐upandthevalidityofthefund.
2.ItisoperatedbythesinglefundwhichOFWspay.EachOFWshastopayUS$25for
membershipbefore leaving thePhilippines. If anOFWgets injuredordies in the
host countries, certain amount of money will be paid from the fund. The
membershipcontractisvalidfortwoyears.
3. OWWAalso offers education and training programsbefore and afterworking to
OFWs such as pre‐departure education programs, scholarships and training and
inventiveprograms.Inadditiontotheseprograms,itofferswelfareprogramsand
repatriation programs for distressed OFWs. (For further information, please see
theOWWApagesofthisreport.)
4. OWWA has 17 regional welfare offices in the Philippines and 32 overseas field
officesin24countriestosupportOFWsandtheirfamilies.
Next,Mr.LouieChaneco,thestaffofNRCO,gaveustheotherpresentationwhichis
aboutNRCO.
1. Reintegration programs started in 1980s through OWWA and NRCO was
established in 2007. It aims to OFWs reintegrating into the Philippine society,
enjoying thegainsofoverseasemploymentandcontributing to theattainmentof
nationalgoals.Toachieve thisvision, ithelpsOFWsand their familiesworkwith
entrepreneurialmindsetandempowersthemtoplanforinvestment,businessand
localemployment.
2. Reintegration program consists of three parts: on‐site, upon‐return and pre‐
departure programs. On‐site program provides information of investments and
livelihood opportunities. Upon‐return program encourages OFWs to venture
productive and sustainable undertakings. Pre‐departure program offers OWFs
languageandculturaltrainingsandhelpsthemsetcommongoals.
3.Thecoreideasoftheprogramareasbelow.
a)TheprogramdoesnotaskOFWstoreturnthePhilippinesnow.
b)Theprogramisnotonlyforworkersbutalsofortheirfamilies.
c)Theprogramencouragessaving,notborrowing.
d)Theprogramhasentrepreneurshipcomponent.
e)Implementationoftheprogramisamulti‐sectorconcern.
4.Specifically,NRCOoffersseminars that intendtoserveOFWstoachieve financial
planningandmanagement,toofferspecialloaninterventionstosupportenterprises
andtogivetoolinterventionstobringaboutimprovedsocio‐economicwell‐beingof
undocumented OFWs. It also has a special program, BALIK PINAY!BALIKHANAP
BUHAY!,forreturningwomen
Writer:KAYOKimura
DepartmentofJustice(DOJ)
DateandTime:February26,10:00–11:30H
Meetingplace:PadreFauraStreet,Erimita,Manila1000
InthemorningofFebruary26,wevisitedTheDepartmentofJustice(DOJ)which
isthegovernment'sprincipallawagency.Assuch,theDOJservesasthegovernment's
prosecution arm and administers the government's criminal justice system by
investigating crimes, prosecutingoffenders andoverseeing the correctional system.
The DOJ, through its offices and constituent/attached agencies, is also the
government's legal counsel and representative in litigations and proceedings
requiringtheservicesofalawyer;implementsthePhilippines'lawsontheadmission
andstayofalienswithinitsterritory;andprovidesfreelegalservicestoindigentand
otherqualifiedcitizens.
OurresearchmissionatDOJisto
understand the Philippines
legislative and institutional attempts
to comply with Article X of the
General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT 1994) in the
administration of their laws,
regulations, and to findout common
challenges, shared goals and
innovative solutions to enhance
transparency in governance .
Therefore, our discussion
concentrated on observation and
evaluation of the Transparency
norm’s compliance inTransparency andPublicParticipation in rulemakingprocess
relatedtotradeinthePhilippines.
At first, Senior State CounselMarlyn Laurino Angeles gave a brief presentation
aboutthestructure, functioningofDOJ.Subsequently,AssistantSecretaryGeronimo
SydiscussedvariousmattersincludingTransparencynorm,Publicparticipation,anti‐
corruptionefforts,andthebalancebetweenprivacyandtransparencywithProfessor
IchiroAraki,studentsfromYNUandUST.
Through considerably
discussing, Mr Geronimo
Sy deliberately clarified
followingconcerns’
1. Theprocessoflaw‐
making related to
trade and
investment in
compliance with
the Transparency
norm.
2. The DOJ and other
agencies in legislature and executive branches regularly facilitate the public
participation.Citizens,nongovernmentalorganizations,businesses,andothers
outside thegovernmentareable tocontribute toandcommentonproposed
rulesrelatedtotrade.
3. DOJ’s anti‐corruptionefforts towarda just andpeaceful societyanchoredon
theprinciplesoftransparency,accountability,fairnessandtruth.
Writer:TRANVanLong
BureauofInternalRevenue(BIR)
DateandTime:February26,13:00–15:00H
Meetingplace:BIRNationalOfficeBuilding,Diliman,QuezonCity
IntheafternoonofFebruary26,wecametotheBureauofInternalRevenue(BIR).
TheBureauof InternalRevenue(Filipino:KawanihanngRentasInternas,orBIR) is
anattachedagencyofDepartmentofFinance.BIRcollectsmorethanone‐halfofthe
total revenuesof thegovernment.Thepowersanddutiesof theBureauof Internal
Revenue are: (1) Assessment and collection of all internal revenue taxes, fees and
charges; and (2) enforcement of all forfeitures, penalties, and fines connected
therewith,includingtheexecutionofjudgmentsinallcasesdecidedinitsfavorbythe
CourtofTaxAppealsandtheordinarycourts.
OurresearchtargetatBIRistointensivelyunderstandthePhilippineslegislative
and institutional attempts to comply with Article X of the General Agreement on
TariffsandTrade(GATT1994) in theadministrationof their laws,regulations,and
governmentordersgoverningtradeingoodsinthecontextoftheirlocalcultureand
practices. Moreover, we try to examine common challenges, shared goals and
innovative solutions to enhance transparency in governance of the Philippines
regardingpublicationoftaxregulations.
Prior to the main meeting with
Commissioner, we had a short
conversation with Assistant
CommissionerMarissaCabreros.She
kindly introduced some general
information about BIR, organization
andofficials.
After that, we had a valuable
meetingwithCommissioner,MsKim
S. Jacinto‐Henares. She elaborately
answered all of our questions and
concerns regarding Transparency,
Accountability, and Integrity of the
agency.
Related to the role of public participation and public hearings in Tax regulation
making process, Ms Kim defined that the law requires that public hearings be
conducted upon each proposal for a uniform tax regulation. Public notice of such
hearings is required and will be submitted for publication to publications dealing
withStateandlocaltaxationandbythepostingofsuchinformationonaCommission
web site when it is established. Within available resources, the Commission will
conduct two or more public hearings at geographically diverse sites on such
proposals. Provisionwillbemade,wheneverpossible, forparticipation inhearings
through telephonic
means.
Regarding anti‐
corruption efforts, Ms
Kim emphasized the
high degree of legal
compliance with Anti‐
CorruptionLawatBIR.
Like other agencies
and authorities in the
Philippines, every
official and employee,
exceptthosewhoserve
in an official honorary
capacity, without
service credit or pay,
temporary laborers
andcasualortemporaryorcontractualworkers,shallfileunderoaththeirstatement
ofassets,liabilitiesandnetworthandadisclosureofbusinessinterestsandfinancial
connectionsincludingthoseoftheirspousesandunmarriedchildrenundereighteen
(18)yearsofagelivingintheirhouseholds.
Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto‐Henares also discussed with professors and students
from the Graduate School of International Social Sciences of Yokohama National
University (YNU)andGraduateStudents fromtheUniversityofSantoTomas (UST)
on BIR’s transparency policy in connectionwith confidentiality restriction and the
BIR’spublicparticipationingoodgovernanceAlsopresentwereDCIREstelaV.Sales,
ACIR Marissa O. Cabreros and ITAD OIC‐Asst. Chief Liza Lorelie S. Levardo‐Cruz.
Thereafter, the visitorswerepresentedwith theBIR’s organizational structure and
the role of Public Information and Education Division (PIED) in the promotion of
publictransparencybyPIEDOIC‐Asst.ChiefMa.LourdesD.Narvaez.
CourtofTaxAppeals(CTA)
DateandTime:February26,15:30–17:30H
Meetingplace:BIRNationalOfficeBuilding,Diliman,QuezonCity
FollowingourvisitatBureauofInternalRevenueonFebruary26,wecametothe
CourtofTaxAppeals(Filipino:HukumanngPaghahabolsaBuwisngPilipinas).This
is thespecial courtof limited jurisdiction,andhas thesame levelwith theCourtof
Appeals.Thecourtconsistsof8AssociateJusticesand1PresidingJustice.TheCourt
ofTaxAppealsislocatedatAghamRoad,NationalGovernmentCenter,NorthTriangle,
Diliman,QuezonCityinMetroManila.
OurresearchtargetatCATistounderstandthePhilippinesCourtofTaxAppeals
attempts to comply with Article X of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT1994) in the administration of their activities, functioning, organization and
procedures, and to find out common challenges, shared goals and innovative
solutions to enhance transparency, anti‐corruption and promote judicial
independenceamongstVietnamandthePhilippinesregardingTransparencyreform
towardanopensociety.
At first, Ms. Ecca Sudla, the Secretary of CTA and Presiding Justice Roman del
Rosario warmly welcomed us at the lobby 3:00 PM After that, we had a fruitful
experiments in discussion with Sir Roman del Rosario. He clearly clarified our
questionnairesregardingTransparency,Accountability,andJudicialindepenceofthe
CourtofTaxAppeals,suchas:
RegardingtheroleofThePhilippinesJudicialandBarCouncil,heemphasized
that theCouncilhashelped strengthen judicial independenceat theCourtof
TaxAppeals.Itisinvolvednotonlyinthejudicialselectionprocess,butalsoin
theevaluation, traininganddisciplineof judges,and in theadministrationof
thecourtsystemintheCourtofTaxAppealssystemwithasignificantlevel.
To prevent from corrupting, at the CTA, the judicial salaries, benefits and
pensionsareadequatetoattractandretainqualifiedcandidates.Also,groups
from outside the judiciary cannot provide funds to judges. The information
regarding the salaries, benefits and pensions of judges are available to the
public.
The civil society organizations – such as the media, human rights groups,
womenorganizations, labourunions,businessgroupsorany judicialor legal
association – have been active in promoting judicial independence. They
maintainmonitoringtheJudiciary,doingresearchontheJudiciary.Themedia
iscontinuouslyfacilitatedtobeinvolvedinthejudicialprocessattheCTA.
TheCTAdecisionsarewrittenandrecorded.Similarly,allcourtdecisionsand
casesarepublishedandavailabletothepublic.Wecaneasilyaccessthiskind
ofinformationthroughtheinternet.
Afterthediscussion,Ms.EccaSudlaguidedustoexaminetheCourt’sorganization
and facilities. She particularly explained themeaning of each symbol or notice, the
usingmethodofinformationsystemwherewecanaccessanylegalcasepublished.
Writer:TRANVanLong
PhilippineOverseasEmploymentAdministration(POEA)
DateandTime:February26,14:00–16:00H
Meetingplace:EDSAcornerOrtigasAvenue,MandaluyongCity
In the afternoon on 26 February, the
migration team visited Philippine Overseas
Employment Administration (POEA). POEA is
one of the government administrations that
belongs to the Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE)and itplaysan important
roleintheoverseasemploymentprogram.The
meeting was consists of watching DVD about
POEA and discussion between the staff,
DirectorMr.LevinsonC.Alcantara,DirectorMs.
Laura S. Timonera and Mr. Alfredo Robels Jr.,
and students. The main points of the meeting
areasfollows:
1. POEA’s vision is “Excellence in governance
for world‐class Filipino migrant workers”. In
order to achieve it, POEA connects all stakeholders, promotes giving jobs to
OverseasFilipinoWorkers,protecttheirrightsandtriestoreintegratetheminto
Philippinesociety.
2.Onaverage,3,000clientscometoPOEAofficeeveryday.Therearetwokindsof
peoplewhovisitthere.Oneispeoplewhoareseekingjobsandtheotherispeople
whohavealreadyjobcontracts.Peoplewhoareworkingabroadhavetoregister
at POEA and POEA offers them to immigration programs including industry
regulations,employmentfacilitationandworker’sprotection.
3. Violation and exploitation are the problems that OFWs are faced with. POEA
conducts pre‐employment orientation and anti‐illegal recruitment seminars
against these problems. Also, it handles on‐site welfare services such as
counseling,legalassistanceandrepatriation.
4.POEAandOWWAofferpre‐departureorientationseminar(PDOS)thatarecountry
specific.NotonlyOFWsbutalsotheirfamilyareadmittedtojointhemsothatthey
canprepareforworkingandlivingabroad.
5. There are two reasons why the Philippines sends its people abroad. One is
“constitutional” reason that moving to other places is the right of people. The
otheris“economic”reasonthattheoverseasemploymentprogramwastakenas
an economic strategy to gain money when it started in 1970s. The number of
OFWshasbeenincreasingbutitisnotregulatedmainlybecausethegovernment
thinksthattheyshouldnotpreventanybodyfromaccessingtojobs.
6.ManytalentedworkersareworkingasOFWsandthisphenomenaiscalled“brain
drain”.ThepresentgovernmentandPOEAdonotencouragepeopletoworkabroad
andtheyputapremiumoncreatinglocalemploymentinthePhilippines.
Writer:KAYOKimura
OverseasWorkersWelfareAdministration(OWWA)
DateandTime:February27,09:00–11:00H
Meetingplace:7thStreetCornerF.B.HarrisonStreet,PasayCity
OWWAisanattachedagencyofthedepartmentofLaborandEmployment(DOLE).
Itpromotesthewell‐fareandwell‐beingofoverseasFilipinosandtheirdependents.
AtDOLEonFebruary26thwehadafirstintroductiontotheOWWA,itsmission,
objectives,programsandservices.Onourvisitattheagencyitself,wecouldgetmore
details and see the different sections and offices. The persons in charge presented
their roles and activities briefly. There again they told us that when it comes to
migration issues, all theagenciesand the relevantministriesanddepartmentwork
together.Theydon’toverlap.
It is important toremindthat theagencyhasa twinmandate tostrengthenand
expand the package of services offered to Overseas Foreign Workers (OFWs)
membersandtheirdependents.Italsoensurescapitalbuildupandfundviability.
ThemembershipguaranteedbyafeeofUS$25,givesrightsto:
1‐ Socialbenefits
2‐ Educationandtrainingbenefitsorassistance
3‐ WorkersWelfareAssistanceProgram
4‐ Repatriationprogram
5‐ ReintegrationProgram
ThevisitattheOWWAinPictures
a) Thelanguagetrainingprogram
During our visit we could assist some activities of the education and training
program.A groupof people,mainlywomen, destined tohousehold in SaudiArabia
were receiving language training in Arabic. This training was part of the pre‐
departureeducationprogram,CountrySpecificOrientationSeminar(PDOS).
b) Entrepreneurshipclassforthereturnee
At the PDOS (Pre‐
Departure Orientation
Seminar) training room,
some Filipino returnees
fromseveralcountriesand
different sectors were
receiving
entrepreneurship lessons
to manage their business
and contribute to the
developmentoftheircountryafterspendingtimeandgainingsomemoneyabroad.
It is tobenotedthatsincetherearecasesweretheFilipinoworkerscomeback
withzeromoney;theyhavebeensendingremittancestotheirfamilieswhomdidnot
save anything; there is also a program to teach them and their families, financial
literacy. So that when they return home they can invest and that the families can
managethemoneybetter.
c) AttheITcenter
After our visit to the class of
entrepreneurship class for returnees,
wemadeashortstopattheITtraining
class. It is the result of a Bill Gates
program which began in 2005 with a
partnership with Microsoft. It offers
basiccomputerskills inoneweek.The
goal is to help the dependent of the
OFWstobeableamongotherthingstomanagethenetwork,inordertocommunicate
with their family members overseas. They have the possibility to join advanced
programoutsidetheOWWAafterthetrainingperiod.
d) Thesectionofcasemanagement
After the training class wewent to the section of casemanagement. There,
they receive complaints. Some people wait until their return to complain for bad
treatment, nonpayment or payment or job non conform to previous arrangements.
Theresponsibletoldusthatalthoughtheyhavethiscasemanagementprogramthey
don’t overlap with any other agencies. They work together following the country
teamapproach.Theonewhoreceivethecasecansendittotheappropriateagencyor
section.Generally,iftheworkerscommitcrime,DFA(DepartmentofForeignAffairs)
holdsthecase.Ifitismoreworkissue,thenPOEA(PhilippinesOverseasEmployment
Administration), OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) or DOLE
(DepartmentofLaborandEmployment)dothefollowup.Sofar,thebestwaysthey
havefoundtosolvetheconflictshasbeenthroughmediation,tosolvetheproblems
betweenemployeesandemployersoragencies.
Cases come from Saudi Arabia more than any other countries; it concerns
mainly household workers for bad treatment. There are also cases of people who
overstayed without regularization of their situation and then when they need to
return to the Philippines they cannot leave Saudi Arabia because the law there is
particular. They need the exit visa which is given by the sponsor. The maximum
periodof stay is two (2)years, if aworkerwants toextend their stay theyneed to
undertake the legal process otherwise they encounter many difficulties which can
delaytheirdeparture.
To resolve their conflicts with this particular country as well as others
regardingtheprotectionofworkerstheytalktothecountriesinverydiplomaticways
totrytoreachanagreement.NowtheyareworkingontheAbudabidialogue.
Repatriation issues and demand come also from other countries such as
Nigeria,Lybiaandsoon.Theymanageandundertakealltheappropriateprocedures
cooperatingwith the relevant agencies or organizations.When the people arrived,
theyhaveaspecialsectiontotakecareoftheworkersindistress.Itiscalled:halfway
home,itwasourlaststop.
e) AttheHalfwayHome
The halfway home is a section at OWWAwhich takes care of the workers in
distress,whohavementalillnessorwhohavebeenvictimsofabuses.Theystaythere
withboardandlodging,usuallyfor3or5days,untiltheygetthetickettogohome.At
thehalfwayhome,theycanreceivecounseling,assistanceandhelp.Theydon’thave
to pay anything for the services. The fees are already covered by the US$ 25
membershipfees.
Writer:PontiusERSKINE
PhilippineNationalPolice(PNP)
DateandTime:February27,09:00–11:00H
Meetingplace:CampCrame,NationalHeadquarters
Q:PleaseexplainaboutCrimesagainstandbyforeigners.Many crimes against Koreanssuch as abduction andmurderin the Philippines arereported,whatisthemainreasonforthat?WhatisthePhilippinepolice'sresponsetothe crimes againstKoreans?Crimes conducted byKorean are also very interesting.PleasetelluscomparativeexplanationsoftheCrimesagainstandbyKorean.A:Currently,KoreanresidentsaremostincreaseinforeignersinthePhilippines.Unfortunately, it is true thatKorean in thePhilippineshas increased theassociatedcrime.However, recently inSouthKoreapolice,hasworkedbeendispatched to thePhilippines,becausethePhilippinespolicearealsowatching,IexpectthepreventionofcrimeQ:The impressionwe have about domestic security is not so good.What do youthinkaboutthat?Ifthisimpressioniswrong,pleaseadviseusthecurrentsituationofthePhilippines?A:IntheviewoftouriststovisitthePhilippines,TheyareconsideredtobedangerousinthePhilippinessecuritysituation.But,Philippinespolicetomaintainlawandorderonthebasisofthelaw,thepersonwhoviolatesthelaw,gotojailbasedonthelaw.Foreachcountrythewrongsecuritysituationandpurpose,wearedoingthebest.
Q:We heard you emphasize a lot about the improvement of the human rightscondition. Please explain about how youmake an effort to improve human rightsconditions.Couldyou showus themost impressiveexampleof the improvementofhumanrightsinthePhilippines?A:Criminals,asvictims, regardlessof thepresenceorabsenceofcrime,Philippinespolicetorespectthehumanrightsofallpeople.HumanrightsinthePhilippineshavebeenalotofimprovedin25years.Thispointofview,thePhilippinespolice,hasbeenforalongtime,alotofefforttoimprovehumanrightsofcriminalsandvictimsinthecountry.Q:Howdoyourespondtothecomputercrimeorcyber‐crime?Whatkindsofcomputercrimesorcyber‐crimesaremostlyreportedtothePolice?A: Likemany other countries, cyber‐crime has increased in the Philippines. Illegalaccount transactions, takeover of illegal personal information, infringement ofprivacy,areincreasinglysituationworse.
Q:Philippinessuffer froma lotof typhoonseveryyear.Todealwith thedisastersresulted from the typhoons,whatkindofmeasuresdoyouhave?What is themainroleofthePoliceindealingwithnaturaldisasters?
A:Thetyphoonaffectedareas,militaryandpoliceIhelptherecoverybeendispatched.
Especiallythepolice,itisnecessarytotheroleofthepoliceformaintainingsecurity
in the affected areas by typhoon. Philippines police, plays grasp of deaths, injured
transport,andtherolewithanemphasisonmaintainingorderon‐siteforrecovery.
PhilippineEconomicZoneAuthority(PEZA)
DateandTime:February27,15:00–17:00H
Meetingplace:CampCrame,EDSA,QuezonCity
OnFeb28th,wevisitedthePhilippine
Economic Zone Authority, called PEZA.
This government agency is attached to
the Department of Trade and Industry.
The task of this organization is to
promote investments, extend assistance,
register,grant incentivestoandfacilitate
the business operations of investors in
export‐oriented manufacturing and
service facilities inside selected areas
throughoutthecountryproclaimedbythe
organization. Our mission was to learn
thePhilippineeconomicdevelopmentand
prospective.
The session was very fruitful. I had
asked some questions via email in
advance.Thepresenter,Mr.Elemerkindlyexplainedtheoverviewoftheorganization
andansweredmyquestionsrespectively.Iwillgiveyousomeexamples.First,Iasked
toPEZAwhatistheadvantageofdoingbusinessinthePhilippines.Heexplainedthat
PhilippinehavetheabundantofgoodhumanresourcethatcanspeakEnglishfluently,
whichisoneofthemostimportantabilityinglobalizedbusinesssituation,andhave
friendlymind.AsIsaidbefore,PEZAaimstopromoteinvestments,employmentand
export, so these quality advantages as well as the number will push Philippine
economyforward.Therearethepoolsofhumanresource inthiscountry. Actually,
they have abundant of international school in the nation. I was so surprised that
peopleeven in the ruralareacanspeakEnglish.Plus, theywill givean incentive to
eachcompany,suchasreducingtaxandgivingconsultingservice,althoughtheyare
forced tobuild their company in thedesignated area andhire theFilipino to some
extent.Second,hewillexplainaboutmyquestion in theemail‐which industriesare
growing and receiving themost investment? He indicated that now Philippine are
famousforbusinessoutsourcing,butinthenearfuturetheywouldliketocreatenew
knowledge‐basedindustries.
Aftersession,wehadQsandAstimes.
EverymemberincludingFilipinostudents
isveryinterestedinthisorganizationand
has many questions. I asked about the
Filipino foreign exchange reserves. Mr.
Elmer point out that investment from
foreign country is the easiest way to get
foreign exchange reserve. Filipino
government has enough that can survive
for 11months in the any sanctions from
othercountryorinthedepression.
Overall, the session was very
meaningfulforeverystudent.TheFilipino
GDP grows at 6.1%, which is the second
highest in the Asia after China. In this
session,wegottoknowonlyalittleabout
Filipino economy and its situation. We have to constantly watch the economic
situationinPhilippinefromnowon.
Writer:YOHEIKuwabara
MESSAGESFROMPARTICIPANTS
TheYNUfieldtriptothePhilippinesturnsto
be10yearsold.In2006Ijoinedthistripas
adoctoralstudent.Sincethen,thefieldtrip
hasbecome increasinglysophisticated.This
time I was very pleased to see students
discoveredagreatdealofpleasuretoknow
about Filipino society and become more
proactivedaybydayduringtheirstayinthe
Philippines. In this regard, Iwould like to
express our sincere appreciation to the
professorsand studentsof theUST,especially toProfessorTommyTiu, for theirwell‐
thought‐outarrangementsaswellasfortheirwarm‐heartedandgeneroussupports.As
fortheYNUpart,ImustsaythattheoutcomeofthisfieldtripowesmuchtoProfessor
Kabashima’sprolongeddedication.
AssociateProfessor
KakeeTomoko
InthisfieldtripprograminthePhilippines,IlearntalotaboutthediversityofFilipino
societythrough interactionwithpeople livingthere.Our interestsweremainlydivided
into three categories: “Economic and Low”, “Oversea Filipino Worker (OFW)”, and
“Recovery from disaster/Development cooperation”, sowewere able to visit various
places. We visited political institutions, Japanese/Filipino corporations, and met
fishermen.Ineachsession,welearntvarioussystems,livingconditionsandconnections
with Japan, from their respective positions. As a student measuring Development
Cooperation, the fact that Ihadmany
opportunities to communicate with
local people in the Philippines was
actuallyhelpfultomystudy.NowIcan
combine theory with practice easier
thanbefore.
Regardingdaily life inthePhilippines,
each communication with students
fromUniversityofSantoTomas (UST)
wasalsogoodexperience tome. Iwas
surprisedmanytimesthateveryUSTstudentspeaksknowledgeablyonawidevarietyof
topicsabouttheirowncounty:history,culture,customsandsocial/economicalsystems,
etc.Theyansweredanyquestionsaccurately.Ontheotherhand,however,Isometimes
couldn’tanswer thequestionsabout Japanwhenasked. I fully realized I stillneed to
studymoreaboutJAPAN.IwilltrytodeepenunderstandingofnotonlythePhilippines
butalsoJapan.
Inthisprogram,wealsohadmanyopportunitiestomeetactiveJapanesepeopleinthe
Philippines.Ihadsometimesimaginedmyselftoworkabroad,butithadnotbeenclear.
In regards to that point, I’m sure this experience helps me make my imagination
stronger.Althoughourschedulewaslimited,itwasverymeaningfulthatwecouldvisit
manyplacesandhavesessionswithpeoplewecannotusuallymeet.
Finally, I would like to appreciate all people involved in this program. Thanks to
countlesssupportsfromprofessorsandstudentsofUST,wecouldperformourprogram
smoothly, thank you very much. And I also appreciate YNU participants. It is my
pleasurethatIhavestayed10daysinthePhilippineswithallofyou.IwishIcanvisit
thePhilippineswithyouagaininthefuture.
GraduateStudent
TakayukiUto
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