Yoshiko Ishiba, spouse of the Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, said that she is a ‘big fan of the Philippines’ as she visited the Manila Japanese School and Philippine School for the Deaf on Wednesday.

The prime minister’s wife visited the National School for the Deaf on Wednesday afternoon, where a two-story dormitory building was donated by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines in 2022.

“Coming to the Philippines for the first time, I became a big fan. Everyone has been positive,” Mrs. Ishiba said.

An eight-million-peso grant was provided by the Embassy of Japan in 2019 to construct the dormitory which accommodated students of the only government-owned institution for the deaf in the country.

In her message for the students and their parents who attended the event, Mrs. Ishiba expressed her respect for the school and gave a message of support for its students.

"I deeply respect the teachers, the Department of Education, Pasay City, and parents of the students who provide such educational opportunities to them. I wish the best of luck to them," Mrs. Ishiba said.

She was entertained with a dance by dormitory residents and was taught basic sign language.

“Thank you for teaching me sign language. I hope that one of you may act as a bridge between Japan and the Philippines in the future,” Mrs. Ishiba added

Earlier in the day, a traditional Japanese cultural presentation of wadaiko, a drum beating presentation, greeted Mrs. Ishiba in her visit to the Manila Japanese School, where she donated storybooks.

“The impression I have of Manila is that it is an energetic city,” Mrs. Ishiba said in her conversation with the students at the Manila Japanese School.

Mrs. Ishiba also held a storytelling session with elementary students of the Japanese school. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS