In December, 2012 lives of thousands of Filipino people living in Compostela Valley in Davao province in the Philippines were severely disrupted by typhoon “Bhopa” which claimed several hundreds of lives and destroyed properties worth millions.
The impact of the disaster found to be enormous and a state of national calamity was declared by H.E. Benigno S. Aquino III President of the Philippines on 11th December, 2012. Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Philippines Nawalage Bennet Cooray, conveyed personal condolences of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Government of the Philippines over loss of lives on 12th December, 2012 and pledged on behalf of the President Sri Lanka’s support for a housing rehabilitation programme.
A sum of USD 25,000.00 approved by the Government of Sri Lanka was donated to the Department of Social Welfare and Development as a token of friendship and the cheque was presented to Foreign Secretary of the Republic of the Philippines Hon. Albert F. Del Rosario by Ambassador Cooray at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila on 27th February, 2013.
Foreign Minister Rosario, while acknowledging the donation recalled with gratitude Sri Lanka’s friendship and solidarity demonstrated just a year ago, through another donation made after the typhoon “Sendong” which disrupted the lives of Mindanao people during the month of December 2011.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Manila.
27th February, 2013
