Perseverance Is Strength*

* Speech of executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. delivered on March 11, 2012 during the Commemoration Ceremony of the Great East Japan 2011 Earthquake held at Quezon Hall, UP Academic Oval, Diliman, Quezon City

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Toshinao Urabe; my former boss, Speaker Sonny Belmonte; our host today, UP President Alfredo Pascual; a pleasant morning to you all.

As we commemorate the first anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake that rocked our close neighbor and ally, we reiterate our sincere condolences over the loss of lives and property due to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the effects of the Fukushima nuclear plant emergency.

In following Japan’s response to the tragedy that befell that nation last year, one cannot help but recall a Japanese proverb that captures how Japan has bounced back after this crisis: keizoku wa chikara nari.

Literally translated, this phrase means “perseverance is strength;” and this tragedy has taught us and those in international community that the Japanese are a strong people whose capacity to persevere and triumph over adversity serves as an inspiration to us Filipinos who, like our Japanese friends, live in areas that are particularly prone to devastation from severe weather events and geological hazards.

One can only admire the dignity in which the Japanese people conducted themselves in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, and marvel at the selflessness of Japanese citizens who were willing to sacrifice their own lives to contribute to efforts to restore control over Fukushima Daiichi, as well as efforts to contain radiation releases in areas badly hit by the earthquake.

On behalf of the President, I wish Japan success as it undertakes the reconstruction and rehabilitation of affected areas. We continue to be in solidarity with Japan as it undertakes relief, reconstruction, and rebuilding. I likewise reiterate President Aquino’s pledge of our readiness to extend assistance to Japan, a pledge made by the President during his official visit to Japan, where it is hoped that the funds he donated on behalf of our government to Ishinomaki City contributed in helping the local government recons-truct government and public facilities in that area.

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan and Typhoon Sendong in our country underscore the particular vulnerability of our two countries, and stress the importance of disaster readiness and response programs to address such vulnerabilities.

We thank the Japanese Government, the top overseas development assistance (ODA) provider of our country, for extending ODA projects to improve our disaster prevention and response capabilities, such as improved Doppler radar systems, flood warning systems, emergency shelters, and river channel improvement projects. Next month, in fact, we will be inaugurating a new radar station in Virac, Catanduanes that was built from funding provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The DOST believes that the completion of this radar station will substantially improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, thus resulting in more timely warnings for our people and helping minimize human casualties and property damage as a result of the severe weather disturbances that constantly batter the country.

We are also hopeful that aside from these generous contributions from Japan that our cooperation at the regional level will be sustained. We commend Japan for its support for the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management and of an ASEAN-wide information-sharing network regarding Disaster Management. It is hoped that collaborations such as these will help countries such as ourselves replicate the level of disaster response readiness that Japan showed last year.

As agreed by our leaders in their 2011 Joint Statement, we hope that our bilateral cooperation in disaster prevention and management will continue to be strengthened based on the sharing of experiences and lessons accumulated by our two countries. It is commendable that in the wake of the tragic March 11 earthquake, the Government of Japan has indicated that it will hold an international high-level conference on natural disaster in 2012 and will host the Third World Conference on Disaster Reduction in 2015.

In leading the way to find means to mitigate the effects of the natural disasters that will inevitably plague us, Japan has shown us the best strategy in dealing with natural calamities—and that is to work amongst ourselves to implement programs and projects that will help ensure that natural disasters do not become greater tragedies by needlessly claiming more lives. Thank you very much, and a good day to you all. /MP