GOVPH

PHILIPPINES, JAPAN SIGN SPACE COOPERATION AGREEMENT

Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) Director-General Joel Joseph S. Marciano (upper right) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) President YAMAKAWA Hiroshi (upper left) holding the signed the Agreement on Space Cooperation, overseen by Philippine Ambassador to Japan Jose C. Laurel V (lower right) and Japanese Ambassador to Philippines KOSHIKAWA Kazuhiko (lower left).

11 June 2021 – In a virtual ceremony held today, the Philippines and Japan signed an agreement on space cooperation.  Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano, Jr., Director General, Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) signed on behalf of the Philippines, while Dr. YAMAKAWA Hiroshi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) President signed for Japan.

The Memorandum of Cooperation aims to provide a framework of cooperation in the following areas: space applications; satellite development; space environment utilization; capacity building for space related technology development, space policy and legislation; space science and space exploration; and promotion of space industry.  The two organizations may also identify other areas of cooperation.

“As we sign this agreement, we look back to what our country has been able to achieve in space over a relatively short period of time, and how Japan has contributed substantially to those efforts. Today, with JAXA, we look to further that cooperation as we continue to build forward, inspire, and open more opportunities for Filipinos to access and benefit from space”, remarked Dr. Marciano. “We bring to this cooperation our people and their experience from the Diwata and Maya satellites, along with our investments in ground infrastructure and capabilities for processing and analyzing spaceborne data. Together, we will create even more value from these activities and cascade them further to society” he adds.

PhilSA Director-General Marciano and JAXA President YAMAKAWA Hiroshi signing the Memorandum of Cooperation on Space Cooperation, on behalf of the Philippines and Japan, respectively.

Ambassador Laurel who was also present at the ceremony commended both parties for this achievement noting that this year also marks the 65^th anniversary of Philippines-Japan relations and the 10th year of both countries’ Strategic Partnership.  “The signing of the MOC opens the door wider into that future. I congratulate PhilSA and JAXA in laying this groundwork, and I, along with my colleagues in the Embassy, am proud to be part of this effort, because our small investments today will mobilize generations who come after us in their bid to conquer new frontiers. Today is indeed a fitting tribute to a remarkable bilateral relationship,” Ambassador Laurel stated.

By virtue of the Philippine Space Act, PhilSA was established in 2019 as the central government agency addressing all national issues and activities related to space science and technology applications. 

This year, the Philippines’ Maya-2 CubeSat was transported to the International Space Station through JAXA, and released into space to conduct scientific demonstration of imaging and store-and-forward communications. Maya-2 was completed by Filipino engineers in cooperation with the Kyushu Institute of Technology, with funding from the Philippine government through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).  Other satellites such as the Diwata microsatellites were also completed in collaboration with Japanese universities and launched through JAXA.

The Philippines also continues to engage in various activities spearheaded by JAXA, such as the annual Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), the National Space Legislation Initiative (NSLI) and the Sentinel Asia. The Philippines, which hosted the APRSAF in 2016, has been regularly participating in its various working groups as a venue for exchanging experiences and best practices in space development and utilization. Through the efforts of the PhilSA and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the country also contributed to the drafting of the NSLI report, which was submitted to the 60th session of the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). Through Sentinel Asia, the Philippines is able to obtain additional support for disaster management through Earth observation satellite data, geographic information systems and other space-based technologies.

CREATE Act To Encourage JP Investments in the Philippines

DTI Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo (left) briefed Japanese investors on the CREATE Act. Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Koshikawa Kazuhiko (right) also remarked on investment opportunities in the Philippines.

31 March 2021 – The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, through the Department of Trade and Industry- Board of Investments (DTI-BOI), the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), held a Webinar on the “Philippine Online Business: Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Bill and Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP)” on 25 March 2021. More than 400 participants from the Japanese community attended the said webinar.

AJC Secretary-General Masataka Fujita mentioned that the CREATE bill is expected to improve the market and investors’ trust in rationalizing incentives that are addressing changes in what a business need.

DTI Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo remarked that the Philippines has a large and fast-growing domestic market and enjoys preferential access to all major global markets. “With the CREATE bill, the Philippines is in a position to offer highly competitive incentives that will help maximize financial returns from developing a local supply chain network” Undersecretary Rodolfo conveyed.

Aside from providing a comprehensive discussion on the CREATE Act and its advantages, officials from JETRO and DTI-BOI also briefed on the current Philippine business climate and expounded the Philippine Government’s Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP).

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte recently signed CREATE Act or Republic Act No. 11534 to further promote investments in the country on 26 March, a day after the webinar. 

SIGNATURE FILIPINO DISHES AVAILABLE IN APRIL AT TOKYO BRANCH OF HARD ROCK CAFÉ AND TONY ROMAS

(Top, with invited celebrity guests) From left: Ms. Yuki Sonoda (Miss Universe-Japan 2020 second runner up), Ms. Natsuki Tsutsui (Ms. International-Japan 2017), Mr. Fumiya Sankai (PBB Alumni), Ms. Maria Theresa Gow (singer/DJ), Ambassador Jose C. Laurel V, Ms. Hiro Nishiuchi (Miss Universe-Japan 2014 first runner-up), Shogen (actor/model), Ms. Mai Murakami (Ms. International-Japan 2017 first runner-up), Mr. Kohei Sato (Mr. World-Japan 2015 first runner-up), and Tourism Attaché Mr. Niel Ballesteros (back, 2^nd from right) and officials from the Tourism Section of the Philippine Embassy.

 (Bottom, with corporate sponsors) (L-R) Tourism Attache Neil Ballesteros; Mr. Norio Fukuda (COO of WDI); Philippine Ambassador to Japan Jose C Laurel V; Mr. Tomohiko Matsumoto (Japan Country Manager of Cebu Pacific Air); Philippine Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Robespierre Bolivar

30 March 2021 – For the whole month of April, Hard Rock Café and Tony Romas, both located at Roppongi, Tokyo, will celebrate “Eats More Fun in the Philippines” by offering popular Philippine dishes such as chicken inasal burger, pancit bihon and sisig.  Turon served with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and mango sauce will also be served as dessert at both restaurants.

The campaign includes a chance to win a round-trip Cebu Pacific ticket to the Philippines by following the DOT Japan official Instagram and twitter accounts and reposting the campaign image or retweeting the campaign post with hashtags #もっと楽しいフィリピン (#morefunph) and #もっと楽しい笑顔 (#smilewithmorefun).  Customers who also order the special collaboration menu items and post via Instagram and twitter the hashtags hashtags #もっと楽しいフィリピン (#morefunph), along with the restaurant hashtag #hardrockcafe or #tonyromas will receive a special pass case made from T’nalak, a traditional cloth made by the Tboli.

 “Food and travel are inevitably linked and intertwined.  Simply stated, when we think of travel, we think of food!,” remarked Ambassador Jose C. Laurel V at the dinner launch of the project at Hard Rock Café on March 26, 2021.  “It is my hope that the inspiration and excitement we offer through food will result in welcoming Japanese friends and tourists in the Philippines this year and the years to come,” the Ambassador added.

At the dinner launch, popular Japanese personalities also attended such as Pinoy Big Brother alumnus Fumiya Sankai, singer and DJ Maria Theresa Gow, chef Marie Inomata, and beauty titlists Hiro Nishiuchi, Natsuki Tsutsui, Mai Murakami, Yuki Sonoda and Kohei Sato. A media launch was also held earlier in the day.  At both events, San Miguel beer and Philippine-inspired drinks mango mojito and calamansi fizz were also served.