12 December 2013 – Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), today received cash donations totaling US$5,000 and 30.350 million Indonesia rupiah for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) from the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) to ASEAN and ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners.

“I sincerely thank all of you for your kind donations for the victims of typhoon Yolanda. We really appreciate your very touching gesture. It’s not the amount that counts, but what is important is that you gave with  your heart. In one Philippine language (Ilocano), “thank you” means  God will repay you, and indeed, this is my prayer for all of you that God will bless you abundantly for your kind deeds,” Ambassador Buensuceso said after receiving the donations from Ambassador Emaleen Abdul Rahman Teo, Brunei’s Permanent Representative to ASEAN and Chair of the CPR, in a simple ceremony at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta witnessed by CPR members and ASEAN’s Secretary General Le Luong Minh.

The amount donated represents personal contributions of the members of the CPR and Dialogue Partners.  This is over and above the contributions made by the envoys’ respective governments.

The Jakarta-based CPR is composed of the 10 Permanent Representatives or Ambassadors to ASEAN of all ASEAN Member States, which include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Aside from supporting the work of the ASEAN Community Councils and ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies, the CPR also facilitates ASEAN’s cooperation with external partners, especially with the 10 Dialogue Partners of ASEAN namely, Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.

Ambassador Buensuceso said that the cash donations will be deposited immediately  in the account of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Earlier, personnel of the Philippine Mission to ASEAN, Filipinos working at the ASEAN Secretariat and the ICHTUS International School in Jakarta donated a total of US$2,869 for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

Meanwhile, ASEAN Secretary-General  LeLuong Minh said there is progress in relief distribution as well as in managing assistance from local and international communities. But after visiting typhoon-affected communities in Tacloban City last month, the ASEAN Secretary-General emphasised that due to the massive scale of the calamity brought upon the country by typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the Philippines needs continuous support to restore normality and even bring progress in disaster-stricken communities.

Minh said that “ASEAN will continue to work with the Member States in providing the help that matters most to the Philippines at this time." He said that ASEAN will mobilize the sectoral bodies within the Association such as health, transportation and communication, disaster management, etc. to support long-term recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the country.

In his capacity as ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator, Secretary-General Minh led a symbolic hand-over in Tacloban City on November 21 of the initial 2,000 ASEAN Family Kits from the AHA Centre to Secretary of Social Welfare and Development Dinky Soliman and Secretary of Interior and Local Government Mar Roxas. Each kit includes cooking supplies, clothing, sleeping, and hygiene supplies for a family of five. ASEAN also donated 2,000 rolls of tarpaulins.

To date, all ASEAN Member States are estimated to have provided more than US$10 million in financial aidand in-kind contribution to the Philippine Government in response to this calamity. END