PH eyes 3 financing deals with Japan until March, 11 up for FY '26

MANILA, March 1 ------ Three more financing agreements between the Philippines and Japan are targeted to be signed until March this year, while 11 are being considered for Japan’s 2026 fiscal year that will start in April.

Finance Secretary Frederick Go, in his speech during the 42nd Annual Joint Meeting of the Philippine and Japan Economic Cooperation Committees in Taguig City Thursday night, said the additional financing agreements amount to around USD1.58 billion to be utilized for several infrastructure projects, such as the Metro Manila Subway and the Central Mindanao Highway. This will add to the 12 financing agreements, amounting to around USD5.92 billion, already signed by the two governments for Japan’s 2025 fiscal year.

Meanwhile, those lined up for the upcoming fiscal year amount to around 371.31 billion Japanese yen or USD2.41 billion, also for infrastructure projects and development support. Go underscored Japan’s contribution to the Philippine economy, adding it is the largest provider of official development assistance (ODA) to the country. As of end-2025, ODAs and loan commitments from Japan reached around USD13.96 billion, over 30 percent of the country’s total ODAs. “Japan has been a steadfast partner in our past. It is a strategic partner in our present. It will remain an indispensable partner in our future,” he said.

In terms of Japanese debt paper, or Samurai bond, Go said this remains among the Philippines’ options as the government continues to diversity its investments. The last time the Philippine government issued Samurai bond was in April 2022, amounting to around 70.1 billion Japanese yen (USD600 million), through a multi-tranche issuance of five-year, seven-year, 10-year, and 20-year ASEAN sustainability bond.

Source: pna.gov.ph