ROC relief supplies handed over to Philippine personnel at Mactan-Cebu International Airport

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of National Defense (MND) worked with NGOs in the Republic of China (Taiwan) to collect the 15 tons of relief supplies that formed the first shipment of donations to the Philippines after Super Typhoon Haiyan.

Transported by two ROC air force C-130 Hercules cargo planes, the relief supplies arrived at around 5:00 PM on November 12 at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, where they were received by Philippine officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The Philippine government has expressed its heartfelt appreciation over the timely humanitarian aid provided by the ROC government and NGOs. Philippine Representative to the ROC, Antonio I. Basilio, who traveled on one of the cargo planes to help transport the first shipment, also expressed his sincere gratitude for the ROC’s act of generosity. The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published on its website a list of donations received from Taiwan and 22 other countries.

The handover ceremony was held on the airport apron after the first shipment of relief supplies arrived. Representatives of ROC NGOs, including the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and the ROC Red Cross Society, handed over the relief supplies to Marcial G. Fernandez, Assistant Regional Director of the DSWD’s Central Philippines office. The ceremony was witnessed by Representative Basilio, Chief of the Central Command of the Philippines Armed Forces, and staff from MOFA, the MND, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines. The unloading was completed at 7:20 PM without a hitch thanks to the joint efforts of personnel from the militaries and NGOs of both countries. The two C-130 Hercules cargo planes returned to Taiwan immediately after, with the pilots completing two taxing four-hour flights in one day.

In addition to donating US$200,000 to the Philippines on behalf of the ROC government on November 10, MOFA worked with ROC NGOs in as short a time as possible to collect relief supplies. It also coordinated with the MND to arrange for the C-130 Hercules cargo planes to complete the delivery of the first shipment to the Philippines on November 12. The operation to dispatch cargo planes continued on November 13 with two flights in the morning and two in the afternoon. Another six flights are scheduled for November 14, for a total of 12 flights delivering urgent relief to the Philippines. The operation will remain ongoing in the future, so that the compassionate donations from the people of Taiwan can be delivered in the shortest possible time to the devastated areas in the Philippines, where they will help the disaster victims get through this difficult time. These efforts demonstrate that the ROC is committed to fulfilling its role as a provider of humanitarian aid.

According to statistics released by the Philippine government, as of 6:00 AM on November 13, there were a total of 1,833 people confirmed dead, more than 1 million households or some 6 million people affected, and people from more than 127,000 households placed in temporary shelters.

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