On 10 March 2025, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines’ Second Secretary Mr. MATSUSHIGE Tomoaki attended the turnover ceremony for the “Project for the Construction of the Grace Park Health Center in Caloocan City, Metro Manila.” This project was approved in 2021 under Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) through the Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects (GGP). In attendance were Caloocan City Vice Mayor Karina The-Limsico and other key city government officials.
Established in 1956, the Grace Park Health Center has provided a wide range of health and medical services to the residents. However, due to old age, the building had become severely dilapidated with leaks and flooding during heavy rains, which made it unfit as a clinic in terms of hygiene and safety.
To address the situation, the Embassy of Japan provided a grant amount of USD 120,477 or approximately PHP 6 million*1 to the City Government of Caloocan to construct a new building for the Health Center.
In his message during the ceremony, Second Secretary MATSUSHIGE celebrated the collaborative effort that led to the successful completion of the GGP project. He also stated that the achievement highlighted Japan and the local government unit (LGU)’s commitment to maintaining and improving services at the Grace Park Health Center, which serves roughly 9,600 patients annually.
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, 567 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 *1: USD 1 = PHP 50.33 (as of December 16, 2021)