Taiwan donates 500 metric tons of rice to storm-hit Philippines

Manila, Oct. 29 (CNA) Taiwan donated 500 metric tons of rice to the Philippines in the wake of recent destruction caused by Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Gaemi in late July, at a ceremony held in the city of Makati on Tuesday.

Wallace Chow (周民淦), head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines, handed over a bag of rice printed with a Republic of China (Taiwan) flag and "Love from Taiwan" to Cheloy E. Velicaria-Garafil, chairperson of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), during the ceremony.

Garafil, who also serves as the Philippines' top diplomat in Taiwan, then gave the rice to officials from the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development, which will handle the donations.

Citing a recent social media post by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Chow said during the ceremony that Taiwan stands ready to offer assistance, as neighbors help each other in times of need.

The Taiwan Technical Mission in the Philippines will soon begin projects in Isabela and Cagayan provinces in northeastern Luzon to increase rice production, in a bid to ensure no one will suffer from hunger when the Southeast Asian country is hit by natural disasters in the future, Chow said.

Meanwhile, in a statement released by MECO, Garafil said "We are thankful to TECO, and appreciate the generosity of Taiwan for the donation. We are sure that this donation will go a long way in easing the burden of calamity victims and the poorest in the communities."

Trami, known as Kristine in the Philippines, made landfall in the Province of Isabela on Oct. 24, and caused flooding and landslides that took 125 lives and affected 7.13 million people.

Although Typhoon Gaemi made landfall in Taiwan in late July and caused flooding across central and southern parts of the island in its aftermath, the Philippines saw its capital city Manila flooded because of heavy rainfall brought by the same storm, which was called Carina in the Southeast Asian country.

Tuesday's donation to the Philippines was part of 2,000 metric tons of rice Taiwan promised last year, with the first shipment of 1,000 metric tons delivered in January. The remaining 500 metric tons are expected to arrive in November, according to TECO.