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MANILA — Ambassador Endo Kazuya on July 25, 2026, hosted “Bridging Journeys: A Joint JDS-JET Programme Fellowship Reception” to send off the 2026 batch of Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme participants and Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) fellows from the Philippines. The reception also welcomed returnees from both programs.
This year’s reception welcomed 104 Filipinos participating in the JET Programme, comprised of 102 Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) and two Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs) who will be dispatched to various prefectures across Japan. The reception also recognized the 20 Filipino JDS fellows who will pursue their graduate studies in different Japanese universities.
In his remarks, Ambassador Endo lauded the participants and fellows for their outstanding achievements. In celebrating 70 years of Philippines-Japan friendship, he further stated that, “I look forward to seeing new synergies emerge from this exchange with the participants of the JET and JDS programs, who are expected to serve as a bridge between Japan and the Philippines for years to come.”
Distinguished guests graced the event, including Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Marshall Louis Alferez, Civil Service Commission (CSC) Supervising HR Specialist Ms. Mary Rose Abaño, De La Salle University (DLSU) Department of International Studies Professor Dr. Dennis Trinidad, and Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE) JDS Project Office in the Philippines Country Officer Ms. Fukushima Mika.
Also delivering messages of support were Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Undersecretary Joseph J. Capuno, Department of Migrants Workers (DMW) Overseas Employment Adjudicator OIC-Director Atty. Mary Grace Quilente, Japan Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (J. CLAIR) Singapore Executive Director Fujisawa Yusuke, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippines Senior Representative Ueno Yoshiyuki.
Current program participants and returnees also talked about their respective journeys in Japan, with Carlos Buraga and Ms. Cyra Krizna Jureidini delving into their JET Programme experiences, while Filbert Ian Aromin Tan and Ismail Guiamel shared on the JDS Fellowship.
Furthermore, several Japanese organizations and companies participated in the reception and deepened exchanges with the JET participants and JDS fellows. (/)
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To learn more about each program, kindly visit the links below: JET Programme: http://www.jetprogramme.org/en