A visiting Japanese delegation came away impressed from a field mission to a number of ILO’s project sites in Northern Cebu. The delegates, from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, and the ILO's Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (ILO-ROAP), were Mr Masaaki Iuchi, Deputy Assistant Minister, Mr Yuki Shimazaki, Deputy Director for International Cooperation, Mr Hiroyuki Enoki, First Secretary-Labour Attaché, Mr Yasuo Ariga, Chief Technical Adviser, ILO-ROAP, and Mr Sho Sudo, Programme and Operations Specialist, ILO-ROAP. Their visit was facilitated on 9 May 2015 by ILO Country Office for the Philippines (ILO CO-Manila) representatives Ayako Kaino, Early Recovery and Livelihood Crisis Coordinator, and Ivan Ledesma, North Cebu Project Coordinator.

The delegation visited three project sites. The first was “Improving agricultural and social services access of upland communities” in San Remigio, where a road was being repaired and widened, and culverts installed to prevent flooding.


The second was “Fair trade villages processors, component on shared agricultural goods processing areas” also in San Remigio, where a moringa processing center was being constructed in support of an enterprise project. And last was “Skills development and placement opportunities for tourism in Cebu” in Talabuena, where trainings were held in vocational skills for the tourism industry, and basic business management.



Mr Iuchi, the delegation’s head, expressed satisfaction with the organized conduct he observed in the project sites. He noted how the laborers looked happy and the trainers eager to learn. The delegation saw workers with their personal protective equipment as well as access to basic medical care in each site. The ILO CO-Manila/Cebu team described its efforts in ensuring Decent Work principles by providing minimum wage, accident and health insurance, and social security. Mr Sudo validated ILO’s contribution by describing the beneficiaries as having regained their “pride.”


Mr Iuchi concluded with confidence that the money of the Japanese people was being used “meaningfully” in the Cebu projects. He promised to share this information with the Ministry of Finance back in Japan, and added that they will surely continue to support not just present projects but future ILO projects as well.