Taiwan hands over disaster relief supplies

Considering the severe damage brought by the consecutive typhoons hitting the Philippines, and based on the spirit of “Bayanihan,” Taiwan has gathered relief supplies and turned them over to the Philippines.

The supplies include emergency shelter kits, solar lamps, bedding sets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, kitchen sets and personal hygiene items, addressing the most immediate needs of the affected people.

Last Friday, 22 November, these relief materials — nearly 5 tons in weight and valued at over 5 million pesos — were transported to the Philippines.

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Ambassador Chow, Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, donated the relief supplies to the Philippine government, represented by Cheloy E. Velicaria-Garafil, chairperson of Manila Economic and Cultural Office, who transferred them to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for coordinated distribution.

On behalf of DSWD, Mr. Leo L. Quintilla attended the handover ceremony. Taiwan hopes that, during this difficult time, these timely donations will provide care and support to the affected communities in the Philippines, helping them return to normalcy before the upcoming Christmas holidays.

In late October, the Philippines suffered a severe blow from super tropical storm “Trami” (locally named Kristine). Last weekend, super typhoon “Man-yi” (locally named Pepito) made landfall on the eastern coast of the Philippines, sweeping through southern Luzon and eastern Visayas regions. It marked the sixth typhoon to hit the Philippines in just one month.

The series of typhoons have already resulted in at least 160 deaths, displaced over nine million people, affected more than 10 million individuals, and caused extensive damage to farmlands and infrastructure, with losses estimated at over P470 million.

Given the geographical proximity and frequent exposure to extreme weather and natural disasters, The aiwan government and its people deeply empathize with the Philippines’ current plight.

To address the damages brought by the natural disasters, Taiwan and the Philippines will continue to collaborate, exploring feasible bilateral Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response mechanism. Taiwan will also closely monitor disaster’s development and assess the necessity of providing timely assistance.

The Taiwan government and its people extend their heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of the typhoons, wish the injured a swift recovery, and hope that they will soon rebuild their homes and resume normal lives.