Providing a variety of educational support in Negros Island for the Filipino children who will be responsible for the future of the country
OISCA Ibaraki Branch was established in 1978. Since 1987, they have been working on mangrove planting in cooperation with local elementary schools, focusing on educational support for the children in Negros Occidental, Philippines.
In response to a request from the OISCA Bago Training Center, the Ibaraki Branch, started fundraising for the establishment of daycare centers based on the recognition that educational support for children is extremely important for the country’s development. In 1988, the first building of the daycare center “Ibaraki Daycare Center” was completed in Tabunan, Bago City. Since then, they have worked toward the goal of constructing one building each year, and now 26 buildings have been completed, enabling more than 1,000 children to attend the daycare centers.
In addition, after hearing from local OISCA officials that “there is a lack of musical instruments and sports equipment in Negros Occidental, and therefore, people do not know what to do in music and physical education classes,” the Ibaraki Branch has been collecting musical instruments, stationery, and sports equipment with the cooperation of schools and organizations from all over Japan, and has been providing them to the field. In 2009, with the financial support of OISCA members from all over Japan and companies in Ibaraki Prefecture, the “Japan-Philippines Youth Exchange Center” was constructed on the premises of the Baco Training Center. In 2011, the martial arts hall was completed, followed by the athletic field in 2015, and to this day, the center continues to serve as a venue for exchange between the youth of Japan and the Philippines. Kendo training for children and adults is held weekly at the Budokan (martial arts hall), and the participants have been top class in national kendo tournaments in the Philippines. Furthermore, the Ibaraki Branch has been working to promote judo by dispatching judo instructors and holding tournaments, and now offers training at 4 local universities including Bago City College, with the number of participants increasing each year.
The OISCA Ibaraki Branch conducted Tokiwa University Overseas Training Program in the Philippines from February 16 to March 1, 2025. In 2015, a professor at the university learned of OISCA Ibaraki Branch’s activities and asked for a guided tour of Negros Island, which led to an ongoing cooperative relationship. In 2016, Tokiwa University and Bago City College carried out a field trip and a reciprocal collaboration agreement was signed between the two institutions for the realization of various programs, such as the English language study. The Tokiwa University student study abroad program began in 2017, and 10 students participated in the fifth session of the program. The students’ English language skills improved significantly during their English studies at Bago City College, thanks to the kindness and enthusiasm of the local students. They also visited the Bago Training Center and worked on five projects, including research on silk product making, product development to make kumi-himo (braided cords) using ume (plum) dyeing from Mito, where Tokiwa University is located, and plant dyeing from Negros, and Japanese cultural exchange to introduce Japanese games.
Meanwhile, to promote judo in Negros Island, Ibaraki Branch sent approximately 260 tatami mats for judo from Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, to the OISCA Bago Training Center. The center will deliver them to Bago City College and other universities in Negros Island.
