South Korea donates P16.2-M to typhoon-hit PH

DAMAGED BY ‘OMPONG’. A resident of Barangay Maddarulug in Solana, Cagayan tries to fix his house damaged by heavy rains and strong winds brought by Typhoon “Ompong” over the weekend. “Ompong” has caused massive destruction to agriculture, infrastructure and property in several northern Luzon provinces. (Photo courtesy of Richard Atrero de Guzman/Greenpeace)

MANILA — The South Korean embassy in Manila on Tuesday announced a USD300,000 or about PHP16.2 million-worth of humanitarian assistance to the typhoon-hit regions in the Philippines.

“To help relieve the suffering of communities from the typhoon damages, the government of the Republic of Korea had decided to provide the Philippines with humanitarian aid of USD300,000 through an appropriate channel,” the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy expressed optimism that the victims of Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) will recover from the destruction to properties and loss of lives.

“The Korean people and the Government of the Republic of Korea are deeply saddened by the news of hardship Filipinos are going through, including massive number of casualties and injuries,” it said.

“We are confident that the people of the Philippines, under the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte, will recover from the damages soon.”

South Korea is among the foreign governments and international organizations, which have provided aid to the Philippines on its recovery and relief efforts in the aftermath of “Ompong”.

Earlier, the French embassy in Manila also expressed readiness to extend possible assistance to the country.

“We extend our sympathy to all affected by this catastrophe, and express our solidarity with the Philippine authorities, with which we stand ready to examine the assistance and aid they may need to face the consequences of this tragedy,” it said in a statement.

As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said a total of 893,844 persons were affected by the typhoon.