On June 27, 2023, Ms. NISHIMURA Tokiko, Second Secretary, represented the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines in the ceremonial turnover of barangay health station (BHS) under “The Project for the Construction of Health Station with Birthing Facility in Paracelis, Mountain Province.” The event was also attended by Paracelis Mayor Marcos G. Ayangwa and other key local government officials. Approved in 2019, the project is part of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) through the Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects (GGP).
The Municipality of Paracelis has a mountainous landscape, and only the District Hospital in the Poblacion had a DOH-registered birthing facility. As a result, pregnant women who live far from the town center had to travel the mountainous terrain for a few hours and pay costly transportation charges in order to access needed healthcare services. Many women opted out of long-distance travel and instead gave birth at home without appropriate care.
To address the situation, the Embassy of Japan provided a grant amount of USD 80,927 or approximately PHP 4.15 million to the Municipal Government of Paracelis. The grant covered the construction of a health station with a birthing facility to decrease the travel time and expenses of pregnant women, as well as to lessen home births.
In her message, Ms. NISHIMURA conveyed her heartfelt joy that pregnant women residing in Barangay Palitud and those from neighboring barangays in Bantay, Anonat, and Butique now have easier access to needed care and safe delivery at the health station. She cited the priceless long-term impacts of this project and expressed hope that the new facility would help the more than 12,000 residents from these barangays to better manage their health.
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. At present, 557 grassroots projects have been implemented by the GGP. Japan believes that these projects will strengthen the friendship between Japan and the Philippines and contribute to sustaining strategic partnerships between the two countries.
Note: Grant Amount: USD 80,927; Dollar Rate 1 USD = PHP 51.3 (as of July 1, 2019)