Japanese Ambassador inaugurates Japanese Garden at UPLB

Intermittent rains did not dampen the enthusiasm of people, including the Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Toshinao Urabe, to be present at the inauguration of the Japanese Garden in UPLB on Sept. 24.

The Japanese Garden or the Nihon Koen, with the Torii as the centerpiece, was inaugurated by UPLB Chancellor Rex Victor O. Cruz with Ambassador Urabe as the guest of honor. Located between the Thai Pavilion and the International House, the landmark symbolizes Philippine-Japan friendship between Filipino scholars and universities in Japan.

In a symposium that followed at the Southeast Asian Region Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Ambassador Urabe said in the Filipino dialect that Japan and the Philippines are not only geographically close but share similarities in culture and values.

“We practice Bayanihan or helping one another, and we both value freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” he said. He cited how Japanese companies such as Toyota, Uniqlo, Murata, Bandai, Fujifilm, and Brother have invested in the Philippines. Further, he explained how his country had been supporting  Mindanao and the Mindanao peace cooperation.

“Balikbayan,” was how Dr. Jose V. Camacho, dean of the UPLB Graduate School described Ambassador Urabe. The young Urabe grew up in the house of first Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo in Santa Ana, Manila. His late father Toshio Urabe then headed Japan’s liaison office in Manila from 1954 until 1956 before becoming ambassador to the Philippines from 1969 to 1974. In 2011, now Ambassador Urabe came back to the Philippines to develop strategic partnership between the two countries.

Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., director of SEARCA, said that the “mutually beneficial ties of Japan and the Philippines involved academic and faculty exchange, with Japan supporting scholarship and human resource development, and collaborative research and development projects. These collaborations have benefited the country, UP, UPLB, SEARCA, and many other academic and scientific institutions throughout Southeast Asia.”

Dr. J. Prospero E. De Vera, UP System Vice President for Public Affairs, remarked that it is “heartwarming that Japan and the Philippines are now on common ground on other issues such as threats to territorial boundaries, in which they are ready to help each other.”

Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., UPLB Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development and president of the UPLB Philippine Association of Japanese Government Scholars, Incorporated-Southern Luzon Chapter (PHILAJAMES-SLC) from 2006 to 2007, gave a brief history of the organization. PHILAJAMES planned and funded the garden with the support of UPLB, private donors, and Japanese friends.

The symposium on Japan-Philippine Strategic Partnership that followed the inauguration at the SEARCA was co-sponsored by the PHILAJAMES-SLC, the UPLB Graduate School, and SEARCA. The UPRHS Filipiniana Dance Troupe performed during the symposium. The symposium was closed by Prof. Liza C. Carascal, UPRHS Principal and PHILAJAMES-SLC President from 2011-2012.  (Kristine Araguas with reports from UPLB Graduate School program write up and Business Mirror: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php.en/features/envoys-expats/16359-japanese-envoy-is-a-balikbayan-at-heart.)