Taiwan donates US$500,000 to Philippines for storm relief

Manila, Nov. 21 (CNA) Taiwan donated US$500,000 to the Philippines on Friday to support relief and recovery efforts after two recent typhoons caused widespread destruction.

Taiwan's representative to the Philippines, Wallace Chow (周民淦), presented the donation in Manila to Corazon Padiernos, chairperson and resident representative of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the Philippines' de facto embassy in Taiwan, and MECO board member Joseph Omar Castillo.

Chow conveyed Taiwan's condolences to those affected in the Philippines, saying both countries frequently face natural disasters and can empathize with the impact.

In a speech, Padiernos expressed sincere gratitude for Taiwan's continued humanitarian support, saying the donation would be forwarded to the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development and other relevant agencies for proper use.

She also shared her own experience with natural disasters, recalling how a typhoon had once struck her hometown in La Union Province, causing damage to her family's property.

Padiernos expressed hope that the Philippines and Taiwan could establish a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) framework to improve the efficiency of future disaster response cooperation.

The US$500,000 donation is intended to support relief efforts following the passage of Typhoon Kalmaegi and Typhoon Fung-Wong through the country.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the two typhoons are estimated to have caused nearly 300 deaths, around 600 injuries, and more than 130 people missing in the Philippines, with infrastructure and agricultural losses reaching up to 5 billion pesos (US$84.77 million).

In late September, Taiwan donated US$250,000 and various supplies after a magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck Cebu Province.