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Mylene de Joya Garcia-Albano also will pilot online voting in 2025

Political science BA,
No. 3 in bar exam

Philippine envoy highlights
climate and smart farms
Name: Mylene de Joya
Garcia-Albano

Title: Ambassador of thePhilippines to Japan
URL: https://tokyo.philembassy.net
Hometown: Davao
Years in Japan: 1

Leaders & Readers
LOUISE GEORGE KITTAKA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mylene de Joya Garcia-Albano arrived inTokyo at the end of 2022 to take up herposition as ambassador of the Philippines.
Not only is this Garcia-Albano’s first diplomatic posting, but she is also her country’s
first female ambassador to Japan. Initiallytrained as a lawyer, she swapped a careerin corporate law for a government role in
2000, and went on to serve three terms as amember of Congress in the House of Representatives before coming to Japan.
Garcia-Albano has created a legacy ofbringing people together and giving them avoice while proactively seeking out ways toimprove lives and outcomes for those she
represents. She talked to The Japan Times
about insights gleaned from her career, as

well as how she is building upon a solid foundation of cooperation between the Philippines and Japan.
The interview took place at the ambassador’s residence in Chiyoda Ward, which has
been used by the Philippines’ foreign service
since 1944. Inspired by Spanish architectureand surrounded by a lush garden, the charming white villa was built in 1934 by Baron
Zenjiro Yasuda. The prominent businessman was a relative of Yoko Ono, who is said
to have visited the house as a child. GarciaAlbano has decorated the interior with furniture and artwork she brought from thePhilippines, and she is overseeing improvements to the garden, including restocking
the formerly neglected pond with colorful
Japanese koi.
Garcia-Albano hails from the city of Davao
on Mindanao. The region has hosted a sizable Japanese population since the 1920s,
when people migrated from Japan to engage
in the production of abaca, a banana-likeplant harvested for its fibers. “I had Japaneseclassmates in grade school, and I remember
how we used to exchange stickers and stationery, and that was really my first connection to Japan. The Japanese stickers and pens
were so cute!” she recalled with a smile.
Having made frequent visits to Japan bothas a tourist and on business, Garcia-Albano
feels fortunate to have arrived just as things
were opening up again at the tail end of thepandemic. “I wanted to look at the way theembassy conducted relations with our citizens, of which we have around 300,000 all
over Japan. I’ve been reaching out to let themknow what we are doing, and finding out
how we can support them,” she said.
These activities include taking a mobilevan on the road to visit Filipino communities around the country, with representatives
from both the embassy’s consular section
and the labor section — the latter for thefirst time. Garcia-Albano herself has been
participating in some of the trips, and has
welcomed the chance to get to know her fellow Filipino citizens in Japan and learn about
their lives. The embassy will be piloting
online voting from Japan for the upcoming
Philippine elections in 2025.
Garcia-Albano has also been busy meetingwith Japanese officials and hosting government delegations since assuming her post.
“We had an official visit from President Ferdinand Marcos in February 2023, so I hit theground running, establishing relationships
with national agencies and reaching out tomembers of the Japan-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship League,” she recalled.
The JPPFL was formed in 1986 to advancelegislative initiatives between Japan and thePhilippines. Japan has been an importantpartner for the Philippines, facilitating thedevelopment of agriculture and infrastructure through the assistance of entities such as
the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Garcia-Albano was also instrumental inplanning the visit of Prime Minister Fumio
Kishida to Manila last November, and theparticipation of President Marcos Jr. in thecelebration of the 50th ASEAN-Japan anniversary in December in Tokyo. A memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of
the Environment of Japan and the Department of Environment and Natural Resourcesof the Philippines was signed during this visit.
“The Philippines and Japan share the factthat we are very vulnerable to natural disasters, so we have been working together,

A native of the Philippine city of Davao,
Mylene de Joya Garcia-Albano graduated with a BA in political science fromGeorge Washington University in 1982,
followed by a degree from Ateneo deManila University College of Law in1990. She had the third-highest scoreamong all examinees for the 1990 Philippine bar examinations. After initiallypursuing a career in corporate law,
Garcia-Albano became the first womanelected from the 2nd District of Davao
City to the House of Representatives, serving three consecutive terms
between 2010 and 2019. Among her
concurrent roles during this period wasdeputy speaker of the House of Representatives (2016-2019). She arrived inTokyo in December 2022 to begin her
current position as ambassador of thePhilippines to Japan. She enjoys reading and meeting new people, and herphilosophy in life is simply to do her
best in whatever she undertakes.

PHOTOS: YUIKO TAIYA

learning from Japan about the best way todeal with the effects of climate change anddisasters,” she said. “We are also looking forward to learning from Japan’s smart agriculture and how we can do things in a moresustainable way.” Moreover, Japan is providing funding and technical support for the firstsubway in Manila, part of a national projectto ease traffic congestion and air pollution inthe metropolitan area. The first stations in
the Metro Manila Subway are expected tostart operation next year.
While Garcia-Albano’s role in Japan iskeeping her busy, she still takes a keen interest in initiatives to help former constituentsback home, particularly with outreach for
Davao’s Indigenous tribal communities. “Iworked to help them get access to resources
and to preserve their culture by producing

Elezo Esprit
Meat-based culinary community
carries on Tokachi’s pioneer spiritAddress
Elezo Esprit
127 Otsu, Toyokorocho,
Nakagawa-gun, Hokkaidohttps://esprit.elezo.com

TAEKO TERAOCONTRIBUTING WRITER

From among the 10 Destination Restaurants
2024 honorees, Elezo Esprit was chosen as
the Destination Restaurant of the Year 2024.
Located in Toyokorocho in Hokkaido’s
Nakagawa district, the area lies at the mouthof the Tokachi River, and the small hill on
which the restaurant is situated faces thePacific Ocean.
Elezo Esprit’s owner-chef, Shota Sasaki,
gained experience in French cuisine at aHoshino Resort restaurant in Karuizawa
and Bistro de la Cite in Tokyo. In 2004, hereturned to Obihiro, where he helped out at
his family’s cafe-restaurant. In 2005, he established the business Elezo for meat processing
and distribution in Obihiro, his hometown.
At first he focused entirely on processing
wild game obtained from hunters and selling the meat. establishing strict rules for thehandling of game animals, including specifichunting methods and the time needed totransport animals after hunting. For this, themeat produced by Elezo gained popularity.
In 2009 Sasaki moved his activity base toOtsu in Toyokorocho. There he built a comprehensive meat-processing laboratory on
a 14-hectare site. Through unique methods,
Sasaki is creating a new meat-based culinary

culture. In 2022, Sasaki opened Elezo Esprit,
an inn-style hotel made up of three accommodation buildings. The main dining roomhas six counter seats. The restaurant, which
offers a course menu for ¥28,000 ($185), isopen to hotel guests and nonguests alike, but
overnight guests currently make up 90% of
its customers. Meats made on the premises,

including assorted charcuterie, roasted pastured pork and venison fillets, are presented
in simple and refined ways. Meat dishes ofequivalent quality can be enjoyed at an Elezo
Group restaurant located in Toranomon,
Tokyo. But the cuisine experienced here istruly the taste of life itself. “We mustn’t waste
a single drop of blood,” Sasaki said.

NAOMICHI SUZUKI
GOVERNOR OF HOKKAIDOTAKESHI ANDA
MAYOR OF TOYOKOROCHO

As the governor of myhome region of Hokkaido, I am very happy toannounce that Elezo Esprit
has been selected as thewinner of the Destination Restaurant ofthe Year 2024 list.
Elezo Esprit is located in Hokkaido’s
Tokachi region, where you can enjoy thebounty of life and wonderful cuisine inmagnificent natural settings near the vast
Pacific Ocean.
We invite you to come to Hokkaido andexperience the unique attractions that
only this region has to offer.

I would like to congratulate
Elezo Esprit’s owner-chef,
Shota Sasaki, on this prestigious award. I am convincedthat his belief that foodshould reflect the background of the region
and its industries has achieved this result.
On behalf of the town of Toyokorocho,
we would like to thank him for his contribution to the community by providing
special dishes to the elementary and juniorhigh schools every year, and we hope that
his beliefs and activities will continue todevelop the community. We wish him continued success in his future endeavors.

PAGE: 6and marketing their crafts. A lot of younger
people were leaving the communities to go
to the cities in search of jobs, and so it was
important that we were able to document
their cultural practices,” she explained.
One of these cultural traditions is weaving, and Garcia-Albano assisted with obtaining funding for the purchase of more looms.
Beautiful handwoven shawls from Davao
were presented to guests at a recent function
hosted by the embassy to mark the Philippines’ Independence Day on June 12.
Another important event is the annual
Philippine Festival, which takes place at
Yoyogi Park in late November or earlyDecember. Held in collaboration with thelocal Filipino community and the Philippine Embassy and open to the public, thetwo-day festival features a variety of Filipino

dishes, products, and music and dance performances, along with tourist and businessinformation.
Whether connecting with Filipino nationals scattered throughout Japan or with isolated communities in Davao, Garcia-Albano
finds herself naturally gravitating towardanyone who can use a helping hand. “It connects to my background as a legislator. I don’t
wait for them to ask; I try to figure out theissues they may be experiencing and try toidentify solutions.”
The ambassador is happy to savor theopportunity to be in Japan for now, andwants to continue making the most of any
opportunities that may come up. “I’m sureI’ll look back on my experience here and the people
I’ve met, and I will probably
continue to try something
connected with Japan in thefuture,” she said.