Japan signed two grassroots development grants worth USD 318,098 (about P18.3 million) to improve waste management in Bohol and support indigenous fisheries livelihoods in Palawan.
Ambassador Endo Kazuya formalized the agreements at his residence in Makati under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP) program. Philippine national and local officials from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources attended the ceremony.
The largest grant—US$243,055—will provide two garbage compactors to the Municipality of Ubay in Bohol. The new equipment will expand waste collection to remote areas and improve sanitation for around 80,000 residents in 44 barangays, where aging and limited trucks currently collect only about 10 percent of total waste.
Another US$75,043 grant will support indigenous communities in Taytay, Palawan. Implemented by the UCCP-SLJA Integrated Development Program for Indigenous People in Southern Tagalog, the project will build a Tribal Hall and Seaweed Farmhouse and provide two tricycles and four banca boats to help restore fishing and seaweed farming livelihoods.
Japan launched the GGP program in the Philippines in 1989 to fund small, community-based projects. With the two new grants, Japan has now supported 569 grassroots initiatives across the country.
