JENESYS2026 · Online Japan-Visit Advanced Program: Flood Disaster Management in Japan

JENESYS2026 · Online Japan-Visit Advanced Program

Day 2: When Rivers Talk and Budgets Get Real

8 September 2026  |  Theme: Energy & Climate Change

The second evening opened the way good online reunions do — cameras flicking on one by one, a wave of peace signs, a heart emoji floating up from somewhere in Timor-Leste, someone's cultural sign held proudly to the screen. Twenty-some faces from across ASEAN, all logged in for the same reason: water, and what happens when it refuses to stay where it's supposed to.

"Pre-disaster investment for disaster risk reduction is essential — but it needs huge national budget. What will you do to secure it?"

— Workshop prompt, following Ms. SAKAI Mizuki's lecture

Ms. SAKAI Mizuki, Chief of the International Affairs Office at Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, opened with "Flood Disaster Management in Japan." It wasn't an abstract policy talk. Japan's geography — steep rivers, dense floodplains, a monsoon season that doesn't ask permission — has forced the country to treat flood control as a permanent, almost architectural discipline: dams, levees, early-warning systems, and decades of institutional memory about what happens when preparation is skipped.

The Workshop: Making a Case for the Budget

Then came the turn nobody could dodge. The prompt was blunt — pre-disaster investment saves lives, but it also costs millions. So: what would you actually do to secure that budget? Three minutes on the clock, opinions due in the chat box. Cameras that had been politely nodding through the lecture suddenly leaned forward. Answers poured in — earmarked disaster funds, public-private partnerships, phased investment tied to risk mapping, public awareness campaigns to build political will for spending on something invisible until it isn't. It was the kind of exercise that turns "interesting lecture" into "wait, how would my country actually do this?"

A Quiz to Close It Out

The evening closed the way these things should — equal parts competitive and ridiculous, the kind of segment where someone always insists they knew the answer half a second too late. By the time the last screenshot was taken, the group chat was still going, still arguing gently about budgets, still trading peace signs.

Two lectures in, and the throughline of this JENESYS batch is getting clearer: energy and climate change aren't separate from governance — they are governance, one budget line and one flood season at a time.

#jenesys_asean  |  JENESYS2026 Online Japan-Visit Advanced Program for ASEAN Alumni  |  Organized by JICE

JENESYS Alumni Event: Maritime Safety and Rule of Law, Energy, and Climate Change

JENESYS 2026 · Online Japan-Visit Advanced Program

Day 1: Energy & Climate Change

7 September 2026 · Organized by the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE)

I had the privilege of attending Day 1 of the JENESYS Alumni Event, an online session bringing together ASEAN alumni around the timely theme of Maritime Safety and Rule of Law, Energy & Climate Change. The day opened with a compelling lecture from a University of Tokyo scholar on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision and the rule of law at sea — a fitting reminder of how legal frameworks and environmental stewardship are deeply intertwined in our region's shared future.

📍 Kentaro Nishimoto's lecture, "The Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) Vision and the Rule of Law at Sea"

It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with fellow alumni and meet scholars and professionals from across Southeast Asia. Breakout sessions like the Group B orientation let us put faces to names from Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Indonesia, and beyond — a genuine reminder of how wide and warm the JENESYS family has grown.

📍 Group B Orientation — meeting JICE staff and fellow alumni

One of the most engaging parts of the day was the case study on the Strait of Hormuz, which unpacked how international law — particularly UNCLOS — serves as common ground even between states with sharply different positions. It was a sharp illustration that legal frameworks don't automatically resolve disputes, but they do give everyone a shared vocabulary to work from — the same spirit of dialogue and cooperation that underpins climate and energy diplomacy.

📍 Case study: Strait of Hormuz and the limits of international law

"From Japan to Southeast Asia, we continue to build bridges for a more sustainable future."

📍 Day 1 recap — 7 September 2026

📍 Together again — JENESYS 2026 alumni, Day 1

The discussions, shared experiences, and diverse perspectives on energy and climate change made the event both meaningful and inspiring. Grateful for the opportunity to learn, connect, and strengthen friendships beyond borders.

#JENESYS  ·  #JENESYS_ASEAN  ·  #everyone

Dilemma of a Stroke Survivor: Day 1 & Day 2 ♟️🧠💪

My chess comeback — one game, one move, one day at a time.

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Day 1 — Nakakapanibago Talaga ♟️

I told you before that I joined an Open Standard Chess Tournament, and it started yesterday.

Nakakapanibago talaga.

After almost two years away from face-to-face chess because of my stroke, I realized that I’m no longer accustomed to long, mentally exhausting battles. But I kept checking in with myself: Kaya ko pa ba?

Pinakiramdaman ko ang sarili ko. Kaya ko pa. Pero nangngapa pa rin.

And honestly, these mental exercises are good for me. Chess forces me to think, calculate, concentrate, and stay patient. So laban lang.

I lost my first game to a college student, won my second game against an adult, and drew my third game against an 8-year-old boy from Taguig.

That third game was a real battle.

I had a one-pawn advantage, and I squeezed everything I could to try to convert it into a win. Pero di kinaya ng matanda. 😂

The game lasted more than three hours and eventually ended in a draw.

Day 1 Score: 1.5 out of 3 games

Medyo nanghihinayang ako sa ilang positions na alam kong dapat sana ay naipanalo ko. Pero ganun talaga ang chess — and perhaps, ganun din ang recovery. You don't always get the result you expect, even when you give everything you have.

At some point, I had to ask myself:

“Pinakiramdaman ko ang sarili ko… kaya ko pa bang magtagal?”

I continued.

Pero tabla talaga.

After the tournament, my twin brother, a friend, and I headed home. Close na pala ang LRT, so nag-jeep na lang kami.

The catch? Hanggang Cubao lang.

So sakay ulit kami ng Cubao–Divisoria route.

Punuan pala ang jeep kapag gabi na.

Hindi na kami nag-Grab dahil may dumaan na jeep, so sumakay na lang kami.

Haissst… punuan pala. 😅

Nauna ang dalawang kasama ko. Ako naman, nahuli na dahil mabagal ako — PWD nga kasi.

Nakupooo… PUNUAN NA! 😂

Ayon, napalaban ako sa sabitan sa jeep.

Medyo masakit sa kamay at likod, pero kinaya naman.

Thanks, God. 🙏

Nahihiya rin naman akong magsabi ng, “Baba na lang tayo.” 😂

Pero that night, I realized something:

Coming back to chess is not just about winning games.

It is also about knowing your body, testing your limits, and learning when to push and when to listen.

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Day 2 — Blindfolded, Literally! 😂

Back again at the 1st Grandmaster Dr. Eugene Torre Open Standard Chess Tournament in Marikina City.

Nakakapanibago ulit na maglaro ng chess F2F.

Kasama ko ulit si utol. Parang UE games na naman noong araw. ♟️

Makakabalik na ulit ako.

Pero Day 2 started with a little problem.

Nabago ang schedule. 7:00 AM daw ang first game.

Eh late na akong nakauwi kagabi dahil sa mahaba naming draw.

Yarii! 😅

Kaya sobrang pagod ako.

At siyempre…

Na-late akong magising.

Ano pa nga ba? 😂

So nag-book na lang ako ng JoyRide papunta sa tournament.

Then came the biggest problem:

Nakalimutan ko ang fully-paid, multi-coated, transition eyeglasses ko.

Nakupooo! 🤦‍♂️😂

Parang naglaro akong naka-blindfold.

Hindi ko halos makita nang maayos ang board, at pati ang sinusulat kong moves, hindi ko maintindihan. Hindi rin sakto sa box ang sulat ko.

(See attached photo later. 😂)

But I still played.

And surprisingly, I managed to score 2 out of 3 games on Day 2.

Day 2 Score: 2 out of 3 games

So after two days, I had a total of 3.5 points out of 6 games.

Not bad for someone coming back from a long chess hiatus.

Pero, again, medyo nanghihinayang ako. May mga games at positions na dapat sana ay naipanalo ko. I know I could have played them better.

But instead of dwelling on those missed opportunities, I choose to look at the bigger picture.

Two years ago, I was fighting to recover from a stroke.

Today, I'm sitting across a chessboard again, thinking, calculating, struggling, competing — and enjoying the game I love.

That's already a victory.

Because sometimes recovery is like chess.

You don't always have perfect conditions.

You don't always see the whole board clearly.

Sometimes you're tired. Sometimes you're uncomfortable. Sometimes you even forget your glasses! 😂

But you make the best move you can with what you have.

One game. One move. One day at a time. ♟️

And yes…
May asim pa ba? 😎♟️

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Tags:
#Chess #ChessComeback #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #FaceToFaceChess #LabanLang #OneMoveAtATime #EugeneTorreOpen #MarikinaChess #ChessLife

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