Sara to Japan: We commiserate

The Davao City government has offered sympathy, condolences and moral support to the people of Japan affected by the flooding and landslide caused by heavy rainfall last Sunday.

In a letter to the Japanese ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio expressed optimism that Japan’s “resiliency and competency” in handling natural disasters will allow it to recover quickly.

“The collective efforts of the Japanese will hopefully lead to the redevelopment and recovery of the affected areas,” Mayor Sara said.

Massive floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rains hit at least eight western prefectures, leaving almost 100 people dead and dozens still missing.

Tragic incident

Japanese authorities had reported at least 75 persons have died, more than 40 missing, and tens of thousands were displaced by the flood.

Duterte-Carpio hopes the Japanese people affected by natural calamities will stand tall and quickly recover from any form of loss.

During Tuesday’s regular session, the City Council also passed a resolution offering sympathy and moral support to the people of Japan.

Little Tokyo

Councilor Al Rhyan Alejandre, who sponsored the passage of the resolution, said Davao and Japan have a long shared history of friendship, partnership and cooperation.

Alejandre cited Barangay Mintal as a legacy of such friendship.

Mintal, which has long been known as Little Tokyo, is where Filipino-Japanese descendants visit every September to pay respects to their ancestors, who had migrated to Davao City before World War 2.