Duterte leaves Sunday for working visit to Japan
President Rodrigo Duterte will be leaving for a working visit to Japan Sunday afternoon.
Departure is set for 3 pm at the Davao International Airport in Davao City after Duterte delivers a statement.
Duterte will be meeting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his trip which will last until October 31.
Topics which could be discussed between Duterte and Abe on October 30 will be security issues on the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula along with rehabilitation of Marawi City.
On Thursday, Takehiro Kano, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Manila, told a press briefing in Malacanang that Marawi could be discussed during Duterte's trip.
" Japan is considering the way forward, how to support the rehabilitation, reconstruction of Marawi," Kano said.
Kano noted that during the height of the Marawi crisis, Japan has provided humanitarian assistance with the international organizations.
"But now, we are in a different phase. And then we are in close contact with the Philippine government, which set up the inter-agency task force. And then we hear in details about the actual needs of it. I think there are various kinds of needs of it, such as the reconstruction of the communities or human resources and getting the people back to the communities and so forth," Kano said.
He said specific assistance would be provided based on the needs assessment and information that will be given by the Philippine government.
The budget department has set aside P15 billion for Marawi reconstruction this year. Next year, the Philippine government is floating bonds to raise P30 billion to rebuild Marawi.
Duterte is expected to arrive in Davao at 9 pm on October 31. DMS
