Minato City Extends Support To Earthquake and Typhoon Victims in the Philippines
Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano (center) received Minato City Mayor Ai Seike (right) and Minato City Assembly Chairman Jun Tsuchiya (left) on 16 February 2026 at the Official Residence of the Philippine Ambassador. The two Minato City officials announced the city’s donation amounting to JPY 1.6 million for the recovery and rebuilding efforts of communities affected by the earthquake and typhoons Tino and Uwan that struck the Philippines in 2025.
TOKYO, 20 February 2026 – In a symbolic ceremony held on 16 February 2026 at the Official Residence of the Philippine Ambassador, Minato City Mayor Ai SEIKE and Chair of Minato Ward Assembly Jun TSUCHIYA announced Minato City’s donation of JPY 1,600,000.00 for the recovery and rebuilding efforts of communities affected by the earthquake and typhoons Tino and Uwan that struck the Philippines in 2025.
Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano received the Minato delegation at her official residence in Tokyo.
Ambassador Garcia-Albano conveyed that the donation would directly support communities still rebuilding homes, restoring livelihoods, and recovering from the cumulative effects of the earthquake and successive typhoons. She also expressed the Philippines’ deep appreciation to Minato City for their continued solidarity with the Filipino people.
“We are especially grateful because this act of solidarity builds on Minato City’s long tradition of friendship with the Philippines, demonstrated through previous funding support, its gracious hosting of the Philippine Embassy, and its continued openness to international communities,” Ambassador Garcia-Albano remarked.
Ambassador Garcia-Albano expresses appreciation to Minato City officials during the turnover ceremony for the city’s financial donation for disaster-affected communities in the Philippines, held on 16 February 2026 at the Ambassador’s official residence.
The magnitude-6.9 earthquake that struck off Bogo City on 30 September 2025 caused significant damage to homes, schools, health facilities, and infrastructure across northern Cebu. Housing rehabilitation efforts remain ongoing in several municipalities. In early November, Typhoon Tino affected more than 2.1 million families across multiple regions, followed shortly by Typhoon Uwan, which damaged nearly half a million houses nationwide. While emergency response efforts have transitioned toward recovery, many affected families continue to require sustained assistance.
Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano and Minato City Mayor Ai Seike (left) and Minato City Assembly Chairman Jun Tsuchiya (right) on 16 February 2026 during the turnover ceremony of Minato City’s donation amounting to JPY 1.6 million for the recovery and rebuilding efforts of communities affected by the earthquake and typhoons Tino and Uwan that struck the Philippines in 2025.
Minato City has consistently extended support to the Philippines in the aftermath of major natural disasters, including Typhoons Ondoy (2009), Lando (2015), Vinta (2017), Odette (2022), and multiple typhoons in 2024. The City likewise maintains a close partnership with the Philippines, including hosting the Philippine Embassy within its jurisdiction.
As the Philippines and Japan commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Normalization of their Diplomatic Relations this year, the donation stands as a meaningful expression of enduring goodwill and strong people-to-people ties between the two nations.
