President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday hailed the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as an important partner for the Philippines as he sought to secure more funding for more “green projects.”

“JICA has always been an important partner for the Philippines,” Marcos said during a courtesy call of JICA officials, including its President Tanaka Akihito, in Malacañang.

JICA is Japan’s implementing agency of official development assistance (ODA) for the purpose of supporting the socioeconomic development, recovery or economic stability of developing regions, including the Philippines.

Marcos said JICA started only with infrastructure, but has since expanded into other areas.

“We hope to continue, especially with the green projects we have now, which are going very well,” he said.

For his part, Tanaka thanked the President for welcoming them in the Palace and conveyed condolences for the victims of recent typhoons in the Philippines.

“As a country sharing a similar fate of monsoon typhoons, our recent experiences compel us to strengthen collaborative work in disaster risk reduction,” Tanaka said.

“We would greatly appreciate any observations, Mr. President, about how to tackle these natural disasters and how JICA can be part of your work.”

During their meeting, Marcos underscored the pressing need to address flood control and water management.

“The issue of flood control and water management has become a significant concern. Even before my time as President, back in local government, I could already see the challenges these posed,” he said. (PNA)