Japan funds Ilocos Norte rescue boats

BAGUIO CITY (February 26, 2025)— The Japanese government turned-over fund grants for rescue boats to Ilocos Norte on Tuesday.

Japanese Ambassador ENDO Kazuya signed a grant contract under the Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects (GGP) with Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc. 



The total grant amount of USD 60,711 or PHP 3,500,000 (1) will fund the project titled "The Project for the Provision of Rescue Boats for Disaster Relief in Laoag City and Its Vicinity, Ilocos Norte".

 Each year, Ilocos Norte suffers damages from frequent typhoons. In 2024, the province experienced higher-than-normal rainfalls and eleven typhoons throughout the rainy season. 

Through the GGP, the Ilocos Norte provincial government will be able to procure two (2) rescue boats, which according to the ENDO would strengthen the province’s disaster preparedness and rescue system in the event of flooding. 

This would thereby enhance the safety and security of the residents of Laoag City and its neighbor towns.

As the top ODA donor for the Philippines, the Government of Japan launched the GGP scheme in the Philippines in 1989 to reduce poverty and help various communities engage in grassroots activities. 

The rescue boat project signed Tuesday, according to the Japanese embassy, is the newest addition to the 567 grassroots projects (including this project) that have already been implemented by the GGP in the Philippines.

Japan believes that these projects will strengthen the friendship between Japan and the Philippines and contribute to sustaining strategic partnerships between the two countries, the Japanese embassy stressed.