Asean offers support to Philippine government
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Jakarta - Asean member states have offered supports and helps to Philippines which is hard hit by super typhoon; Haiyan on Friday.
Asean Secretary General Le Luong Minh contacted the Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Del Rosario and informed the latter that he is ready to facilitate Asean cooperation and coordination through the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre).
In a letter sent to Secretary Del Rosario, Minh expressed “great concern and sadness” over the devastation wrought by super typhoon “Haiyan” which slammed central Philippines on Friday.
“The Asean stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Philippines in these difficult times and we are ready to show the Asean spirit of a caring community to affected populations in the country,” Minh said. “Within the framework of the Asean Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), we are working closely with the AHA Centre to ensure Asean’s effective response to the disaster,” he added.
Earlier, AHA Centre has deployed its team members and the Asean Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (Asean – ERAT) in Manila and Tacloban City to coordinate with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council authorities to discuss possible relief support for the Philippines. The team in Tacloban helped set up emergency communications prior to the landfall of Haiyan to help the disaster management office communicate with national government in earliest hours after the typhoon hit the city.
Yesterday, an additional Asean group which consists of the AHA Centre Field Team Leader, ERAT members from Brunei Darussalam, and a representative from AADMER Partnership Group arrived in Tacloban which was reported to be the hardest hit by this super typhoon. The Asean team will assess immediate assistance needed by the disaster management authorities and affected communities. The results of the assessment will be shared to Asean states and potential assisting entities to help them decide the types of assistance to be provided.
Upon hearing the news of disaster in the Philippines, the Asean Chief conveyed to Secretary Del Rosario his “heartfelt sympathy with the affected communities and whole nation during these trying times.”
