Filipinos Protest Dolphin Slaughter In Japan

Photos show Filipino protesters during a rally in front of the Japanese embassy in Manila.

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 16, 2010) – Filipino activists held a rally in front of the Japanese embassy in Manila and protested Tokyo’s continued slaughter of dolphins.

The protest was led by the Earth Island Institute together with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society and the Friend of the Sea.

The rally coincided with the International Japan Dolphin Day where activists from at least 65 organizations in 56 cities all over the world trooped to Japanese embassies to protest the killing of dolphins.

Activists said Tokyo is again planning a massive slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama in Japan.

Japan grants permits to kill as much as 23,000 dolphins every year. Those who have witnessed the hunts relate how dolphins, which are highly intelligent and social animals, are brutally killed with spears and knives. The hunts go on every year from October through April.

“The Cove,” a film on the brutal hunts which won Best Documentary in this year’s Oscar Awards, has intensified the campaign launched by Earth Island Institute years back regarding the dolphin slaughter.

According to The Cove, marine parks and aquariums buy animals from Japan for their dolphin shows. A single untrained dolphin can cost as much as $150,000. The money paid by the dolphin show industry is one major reason why the hunts persist despite the fact that majority of the Japanese people do not eat dolphin, and it is clearly uneconomical to kill dolphins for food.

Trixie Concepcion, regional director of Earth Island in the Philippines, said dolphins from the Japanese drive hunts have also been shipped to the Philippines. “In 2001, the country imported 5 false killer whales, four of which already died performing at the Ocean Adventure Park in Subic. Another 4 bottlenose dolphins arrived in the country in 2004, one of which is now dead, and just last year, another 4 bottlenose dolphins were imported from Japan,” she said.

“The Philippine Government must stop supporting the dolphin slaughter in Japan by allowing continued importation of dolphins into the country,” Concepcion added.

Jay Padlan, of the Friend of the Sea, urged Filipinos to stop patronizing dolphin shows in the Philippines. “If we Filipinos want to end the hunts, there is something very concrete we can do and that is to stop watching and patronizing dolphin shows. When aquariums stop buying dolphins in Japan, the killings can, too,” Padlan said.

Protesters said dolphin meat is largely sold in Japan, but warned that the flesh contains high levels of mercury.

“The demonstration is not only about animal welfare, it is also very much about human welfare. We support the Japanese people’s right to know that this is happening in their country. We also support their right to know that the dolphin meat being offered to them as food contains high levels of toxic mercury. We urge the Japanese government to stop the senseless killings in Japan and to protect its people from mercury poisoning,” Concepcion said.

Filipinos praise Japan for health support in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 26, 2010) - Filipino villagers praised Japan for its support to rural health programs in North Cotabato province in Mindanao.

Japan funded the upgrading of a rural health unit in Libungan town and would hand it over to the local government on Tuesday. Tomonori Kikuchi, Embassy of Japan’s First Secretary, is expected to attend the turnover ceremony.

The project is funded through the Embassy of Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects) with a grant of 72,469 US dollars or approximately 3.4 million pesos.

The Libungan Regional Health Unit was constructed in 1976 and, prior to the assistance, it was one of the oldest health facilities in the Province of North Cotabato. The RHU was dilapidated and did not have enough space and basic medical equipment for providing quality health services for the residents. Since patients also come from adjacent municipalities of Alamada, Banisilan and Pigcawayan, they were forced to wait for a long time to be provided health services.

Now, with the grant assistance, a newly renovated health facility has been constructed, and medical equipment was also provided. "This is a great initiative of Japan and we are lucky that we have now an upgraded rural health unit," one villager said.

This project has been implemented under the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development. The Government of Japan launched the J-BIRD in December 2006 as part of its commitment to support peace and development efforts in Mindanao.

The J-BIRD has assisted the construction and rehabilitation of school buildings, training centers, health centers and water supply systems through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects. As of March 2010, 40 grassroots projects have been implemented under the J-BIRD with a total amount of approximately 2.8 Million US Dollars. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)

Japan Renews Commitment To Peace In Mindanao

Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura and Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema. (Abdullah Cusain/Mindanao Examiner Photo)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 31, 2007) – Japan on Wednesday renewed its commitment to support the peace process in Mindanao island in the southern Philippines.

Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura flew to Cotabato City and met with the local mayor Muslimin Sema, also the Secretary General of the former Muslim rebel group, Moro National Liberation Front which signed a peace deal with Manila in 1996.

Katsura also inaugurated a center that offers women training on mat weaving.

“The Ambassador stressed that they are here to help in peace-building and that their assistance is open to all and not just limited to conflict-affected areas. Ambassador Katsura stated his admiration for the natural wealth of this place and said that it could have been richer if not for the armed conflict,” Sema said.

Katsura was also accompanied by Yasunori Nakayama, the Embassy’s political minister; Yoshihisa Ishikawa, the Embassy’s First Secretary and Nagaishi Masafumi, senior advisor for reconstruction and development of Mindanao program and also a member of the International Monitoring Team (IMT).

Manila is currently negotiating peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which is fighting the past three decades for the establishment of a strict Islamic state in Mindanao. (Abdullah Cusain)

Taiwan Jet Explodes Into Fire In Japan: AP

NAHA, Japan - Passengers used emergency slides to evacuate a China Airlines jet just minutes before the plane burst into a fireball Monday after arriving in Okinawa from Taiwan.

All 165 people aboard escaped unhurt, including the pilot, who jumped from the cockpit at the last second.

Transport Ministry official Akihiko Tamura told reporters that airport traffic controllers had received no report from the pilot indicating anything was wrong with the Boeing 737-800.

"The fire started when the left engine exploded a minute after the aircraft entered the parking spot," Tamura said.

The plane exploded into flames seconds after what the last crew member escaped from a rear door and the pilot jumped from the cockpit window, according to footage from national broadcaster NHK.

The aircraft skidded on the tarmac on its way from the runway to the gate after landing, starting a fire that prompted the emergency evacuation, according to China Airlines spokesman Sun Hung-wen.

"After the plane landed, there were flames, and I heard explosions a few times, then saw black smoke," Hideaki Oyadomari, an airport worker, told NHK. "We felt the hot air coming our way."

Japan's National Police Agency said terrorism was not suspected.
Local fire official Hiroki Shimabukuro said two passengers — a 7-year-old girl and a man in his 50s — were hospitalized because they felt unwell, but not because they were injured. A ground engineer was knocked off his feet by the force of the blast, but was not hurt, the ministry said.

The fire was put out about an hour later, leaving the aircraft charred and mangled.

Several passengers told NHK they were preparing to get off the plane after what seemed like an ordinary landing when they were suddenly told to use the emergency slides to evacuate.

Some said they saw smoke and flames entering the cabin and that there was a stampede to exit. Minutes later, many said, they heard explosions.

"I suddenly saw flames beside me, and everybody started rushing to get out," a male passenger told NHK. "People were pushing and shoving in panic," he said.

"I felt the boom of the explosion behind me as soon as I got off," a female passenger said.

The cause of the fire was unknown.

Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration head Chang Kuo-cheng said authorities ordered China Airlines and its subsidiary Mandarin Airlines to ground their 13 other Boeing 737-800s pending a thorough inspection.

Japanese aviation authorities also ordered an emergency inspection of all Boeing 737-800 planes owned by Japanese air lines, as well as some 737-700 models that carry a similar engine.

"If there was a fire, it might have something to do with an oil leak," Chang said.

The Okinawa fire is a setback to China Airlines, which in recent years appeared to have improved on a troubled safety record among international carriers.

A China Airlines 747 crashed in 2002 as it flew from Taipei to Hong Kong, leading to 225 deaths, and some 450 people died in China Airlines accidents during the 1990s.(AP)

Japan Pledges To Help Develop War-Torn Areas In Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 23 May) – The Japan International Cooperation Agency is to launch a two–year grassroots study to assess the social, economic and development needs of the war-devastated areas in Mindanao.

The study is being conducted in areas under the control of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been fighting for decades for the establishment of a strict Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

JICA said it would launch before the end of May quick impact projects in education, healthcare, water supply and economic improvement.

Sadako Ogata, JICA president, visited Mindanao island in September last year and pledged to help restore stability in Mindanao after more than three decades of war that left tens of thousands of people dead.

Philippine leader Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 in an effort to end the bloody fighting and develop Mindanao.

A formal agreement between the Philippine government and JICA followed in March and the agency then established a field office in Davao City with one Japanese staff member and five local personnel.

JICA continues to provide assistance to the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), particularly in the areas of medical care and agriculture as in previous years.

In March, five local officials were sent to Malaysia to study Halal, or Islamic food processing techniques.

JICA said it is dispatching new evaluation teams to help develop local industry and infrastructure. It is conducting community development field studies in both the ARMM and MILF areas through nongovernmental organizations and promoting cooperation frameworks in rice cultivation and livestock farming.

JICA has identified five priority areas and issues for assistance to the Philippines.

The first is enabling sustained development by reinforcing the country's economic structure and removing growth-restricting factors. This requires (1) proper macroeconomic management, (2) reinforcement of the industrial structure, and (3) improvements in the economic infrastructure, including energy, electricity, and transport.

The second is correction of disparities, specifically poverty alleviation and correction of regional disparities. Particular importance is being given to (1) rural development and (2) improvement of basic living conditions. The latter involves enhancing health and medical services, improving water supply, and assistance for vulnerable members of society.

The third is environmental conservation and disaster prevention. The fourth is human resources development and institution building.

In concrete terms, this involves (1) enhancing access to primary and secondary education and improving the quality of the education provided; (2) upgrading IT-related technologies; and (3) administrative capacity building and institution building. And the fifth is aid for Mindanao. (With a report from Mark Navales)

Mindanao Peace Process Gets Japanese Backing

MANILA – Tokyo has given another solid backing to the ongoing peace process between the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) through an implementing arrangement which signals the formal commencement of the study on the socio-economic reconstruction and development of conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.

The study which will be undertaken over a two-year period shall culminate in the formulation of a socio-economic development plan for the conflict-affected areas.The implementing arrangement was signed by Silvestre Afable, Jr., chairman of the government peace panel, and Kenji Maekawa, mission leader of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Both peace panels requested the Japanese government to assist in the formulation of the development plan last year, along with their request for the immediate dispatch of a senior Japanese development adviser to the International Monitoring Team (IMT) deployed in the southern Philippines.

The Japanese IMT representative subsequently joined the Malaysian-led monitors in Mindanao on October last year.The Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), the Mindanao Taskforce and IMT alsosigned the documents as witnesses.

The BDA is the implementing body identified by the MILF to determine, lead and manage rehabilitation and development projects in the areas affected by the conflict in Mindanao. (With a report from the Mindanao Examiner)

Japan Launches Aid Program In Mindanao

MANILA (Mitchel Confesor / 15 Dec) – The Japanese government has launched a program for Central Mindanao to build classrooms and buildings in eight schools, a couple of water systems, a complete set of post-harvest facilities, and a training center for Muslim women worth some USD624,000.

The program, called the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development or J-BIRD, will renovate and build classrooms among other projects in Maguindanao and North Cotabato provinces.

Bangsamoro refers to Muslims inhabitants of Mindanao.

The J-BIRD program will also construct in Maguindanao two potable water systems and a livelihood center for Muslim women, and a warehouse, solar dryer and purchase post-harvest equipment and farm machineries in North Cotabato.

The Japanese ambassador to Manila Ryuichiro Yamazaki has already signed the contracts for each of the twelve J-BIRD beneficiaries as part of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects or GGP of Japan in the Philippines.

Tokyo earlier sent a development expert Masafumi Nagaishi to join the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Cotabato City in Maguindanao to form the so-called Mindanao Task Force (MTF).

The task force is composed of representatives from the Japanese Embassy, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

Japan, through JICA, and the Philipines’ Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) under Secy. Jesus Dureza have spearheaded a series of capability-building seminars throughout Mindanao in partnership with the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), the economic arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which is currently negotiating peace with the Arroyo government.

Six Ambassadors Pledge Support To Peace, Development In Mindanao

The ambassadors of Japan Ryuichiro Yamazaki; Peter Sutherland, of Canada; Kristie Kenney, of the United States, Peter Beckingham, of the United Kingdom; Tony Hely, of Australia; and David Pine, of New Zealand, visited the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga and Basilan island on Monday 13 Nov 2006 and pledged support to the peace talks between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which is fighting for a separate Islamic state in the strife-torn region. The 6 countries are staunch allies of the Philippines in the fight against homegrown terrorism.(Mindanao Examiner)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 13 Nov) - Six ambassadors have pledged support to the Philippine peace efforts in Mindanao and renewed commitments to help develop the troubled island, south of Manila.

The ambassadors -- Ryuichiro Yamazaki, of Japan; Peter Sutherland, of Canada; Kristie Kenney, of the United States, Peter Beckingham, of the United Kingdom; Tony Hely, of Australia; and David Pine, of New Zealand arrived here together and met with senior military commanders and government officials.

"These six countries all support myriad development projects in Mindanao, focusing on education and job skills training, small business development, local governance, improved healthcare, agricultural sustainability, poverty alleviation, peace building and counter-terrorism," a joint statement released by the US Embassy said.

The ambassadors met with Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, commander of the Armed Forces' Western Mindanao Command and were briefed about the security situation in Mindanao.

They later met with the local mayor Celso Lobregat, who also briefed them about the city's tourism and investment program, before proceeding to the Islamic Institute of the Philippines in the Muslim enclave of Rio Hondo where they mingled with students and teachers.

Kenney also led the turnover ceremony of computers and Internet connections to the school under the program called Computer Literacy and Internet Connection or CLIC.Sutherland said Canada is supporting the peace process and development efforts in Mindanao.

"Our objective in visiting Zamboanga and Basilan is to demonstrate our support to the peace process and development in Mindanao," he said. "We have a collective interest in Mindanao to bring peace and development."

And Japan has also committed to support the peace talks, saying, it already sent a representative to Mindanao to join an international group of cease-fire observers.

"We are also supporting the peace process. We hope to help in the development of Mindanao," said Yamazaki in Zamboanga City.

The group also flew by helicopters to Lamitan town in Basilan island to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a community learning center donated by Australia under the so-called Basic Assistance for Mindanao program.

The 6 countries are staunch allies of the Philippines have provided funds to help the government fight homegrown terrorism. Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Japanese Embassy Officials In Manila

Secretary Jesus Dureza (right), Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process in the Philippines, hands out copies of the National Peace Month commemoration issue of the Philippine Free Press to Akira Sugiyama (left), Japanese Embassy Economic Section Minister-Counselor, and Masafumi Nagaishi (center), Japan’s representative to the International Monitoring Team (IMT). The Mindanao-based IMT is a composite of military, police, and civilian peace monitors from Malaysia, Brunei, Libya, and – recently – Japan.

Tokyo Sends Expert To Join International Truce Observers In Strife-Torn Mindanao

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 19 Oct) – A senior Japanese official arrived Thursday in Manila to join a group of international truce observers deployed in the mineral-rich, but dangerous region of Mindanao.

Masafumi Nagaishi, an economic development expert, is heading for Cotabato City in Maguindanao province next week to begin his year-long tour of duty as Japan plays an important role in the peace process in the troubled southern region.

Nagaishi was head of the Disaster Management Team of the Global Environment Division of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Tokyo prior to his new assignment.

Manila is currently negotiating peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for the establishment of a strict Islamic state in Mindanao.

Nagaishi will also assess reconstruction needs and development projects in conflict-affected areas in the south as part of the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team (IMT).

His work will focus on monitoring the socio-economic aspect of the peace process and work closely with the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), the rehabilitation and development arm of the MILF.

Japan Foreign Minister Taro Aso who visited the Philippines in July said the commitment is part of Tokyo’s peace effort in Mindanao. Japan is a major aid donor to the Philippines.

Aside from the MILF, the communist New People's Army rebels and the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Southeast Asia terror network, Jemaah Islamiya, are also actively operating in Mindanao.(Mindanao Examiner)