(Anadolu photo)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the provision of USD200,000 or around PHP11 million in financial assistance to Syria which was hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Feb. 6.
According to a news release by the Presidential Communications Office on Friday, the Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), will be sending the financial donation on top of the in-kind relief assistance to the Syrian Arab Republic.
“The Philippines, as a member of the international community of nations, steadfastly supports the united global effort to assist the victims of the February 06 earthquake in Turkiye and Syria,” the DFA said.
“In these times of deepest need, the Philippines expresses solidarity with the people of the Syrian Arab Republic, and is honored to announce that it is extending a financial donation in the amount of US$200,000, along with the provision of life-saving humanitarian aid,” the DFA added.
The DFA said relevant government agencies, under Marcos' directive, will be closely coordinating with each other to implement these humanitarian commitments to the Syrian government.
The earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria left at least 50,288 dead and 125,857 injured individuals.
The Philippine government had previously sent an 82-man Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PIAHC) in Türkiye to assist in the response operations of the earthquake-hit country.
The PIAHC’s medical team served 1,022 patients while its search and rescue team assisted in search and rescue operations in the collapsed buildings, assessing a total of 36 buildings from February 10 to 15 before it was placed on standby, awaiting requests for further assistance on retrieval operations.
The Philippine government also donated 11,205 blankets, 5,000 bonnets and 420 pairs of gloves to the earthquake victims. (PNA)
