President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua. Photo from Chinese Embassy in Manila.
The Chinese government has donated a total of P90 million to the Philippines for disaster relief efforts following the onslaught of typhoon “Lawin” (international name: Haima) in northern Luzon.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila made the announcement in a statement released on Monday evening.
“The Chinese Government has committed RMB 5 million (equaling 35 million pesos) to the Philippine anti-disaster efforts. On October 24, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines donated an aid of 50 million Pesos to the Philippine Government, for the disaster relief of farmers and fishermen in the affected regions,” the statement read.
“The Red Cross Society of China will also provide a humanitarian aid of USD 100,000 to the Philippines. Up to now, the overall amount of aid from the Chinese side is about 90 million pesos,” the embassy said.
The embassy also released photos of President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua shaking hands in Malacañang Palace.
The embassy said Chinese President Xi Jinping had expressed sympathy to Duterte for Lawin’s devastation during their bilateral talks in Beijing last week.
“The Chinese side is confident that under the leadership of President Duterte, people in the stricken areas will overcome the calamity and return to their normal work and lives as soon as possible,” the statement added.
Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo previously said the government was not soliciting foreign aid for typhoon victims because it has sufficient funds to address their needs, but later clarified that the Philippines still welcomes unconditional assistance and donations from other countries. CDG/rga
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