Anglican Japanese partner eyes Bontoc sisterhood ties

By Francis Degay

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Sisterhood relationship between this capital town and a Japanese town are in the works.

This, after two members of a Japanese development agency met with Bontoc mayor Franklin Odsey on Aug. 24.

Ken Nonukawa and Hiro Yoshida of the Kiyosato Education and Experiment Project (KEEP) based in Takanecho Kitaguma-gun, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan earlier visited development projects in Tulgao, Tinglayan on August 21-23.

KEEP was a partner of the Anglican diocese of Northern Philippines since the mid 80s.
Through the initiative of the diocese under the leadership of then Fr. Brent Harry Alawas, who was the development officer and now the diocesan bishop, the church was able to access grants from KEEP with projects ranging from health care, personnel exchange, scholarship, agriculture, agro-forestry, infrastructure such as waterworks, multi-purpose building and micro-hydro power that supplies electricity in Tulgao and the nearby village of Dananao.

The program for this year is focused on food security. Some individuals including this writer were invited to attend the exchange program during the county fair at Yamanashi that is celebrated every October.

The event showcases the various enterprises and products of Yamanshi that entice thousands of local and foreign tourists.

Nonukawa and Yoshida had their initial visits at Tulgao way back in 1985 and 1989 respectively. Since then other top management personnel such as Takao Okemoto, KEEP international liaison officer, and some volunteers of KEEP maintained their regular visits in Tulgao almost every year.

Ken retired four years ago but he still does volunteer work. Hiro, on the other hand, is now the manager of the accounting department and at the same time the international relations officer.