JAPANESE Ambassador Endo Kazuya has expressed his support for Pasig City’s circular economy efforts during the inauguration of the city’s Innovation for Circular Economy (ICE) Hub last Jan. 26, 2026.
The ICE Hub addresses the solid waste management efforts of the city.
It is equipped with facilities for waste reduction, including waste segregation and composting, and is expected to serve as a center for improving waste management based on the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
The government of Japan supports Pasig and other cities in their circular economy initiatives through contributions to the “Accelerating Nationally Determined Contributions through Circular Economy in Cities” initiative implemented by the UNDP.
This support includes training program for the design and operationalization of the ICE Hub, as well as the turnover of a mobile material recovery facility and a biogas digester to Pasig City in 2023.
Circular Economy is a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting.
Solid waste management is one of the most serious challenges facing the Philippines, particularly in Metro Manila, where more than 10,000 tons of waste are generated every day.
The Japan embassy said in an official statement that it will continue to strengthen its partnership with the Philippines, not only in promoting the circular economy but also across a wide range of areas contributing to the sustainable and inclusive development of the country.
Philippines and Japan are two maritime nations whose more than six decades of partnership include bilateral maritime cooperation that covers the promotion of the marine environment, maritime safety, maritime law enforcement capabilities, shipping, maritime education and training, and crewing.