JAPANESE Ambassador to Manila Endo Kazuya and Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro have signed the exchange of notes pertaining to Japan’s 30-billion-yen loan or over P11.5 billion for the subprogram 3 of the Build Universal Health Care Program (BUHC3), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The DFA noted that the BUHC3’s emergency support is being implemented and co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Japanese Embassy in Manila said the program will fund efforts to improve policies related to achieving universal health care and to mitigate the impact on the health sector caused by the escalating tensions in the Middle East. ”It aims to improve equitable access to high-quality health services and strengthen the supply chain for medical supplies, thereby contributing to economic stability and the promotion of social development,” the embassy said in a statement on Wednesday. ”With 1,630 Japanese companies operating in the Philippines, efforts to improve the country’s health care environment and stabilize its economy and public finances through this initiative are expected to improve the lives of the Filipino people,” the embassy said. It will also contribute to bolstering the country’s social and economic activities, and help lay the groundwork for the expansion and operations of Japanese companies in the country, it added. The DFA said the BUHC 3 aims to improve equitable access to quality health services that are also responsive to gender-specific health concerns and the health impacts of climate change. It follows through the achievements of subprogram 1, implemented from January 2019 to May 2021 with support from the ADB, and subprogram 2, implemented from July 2021 to September 2023, which was co-financed by ADB, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency.
