Philippines pledges relief aid to Myanmar

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines has pledged $100,000 (P4.3 million) in cash and another $250,000 (P10.9 million) in kind as assistance to cyclone victims in Myanmar, Sen. Richard Gordon said Tuesday.

Gordon said a 30-member Philippine medical team on Monday brought medicines and relief goods to Rangoon (Yangon) via a Philippine Air Force C-130 plane for the disaster victims in Myanmar.

The senator headed the six-member Philippine delegation in the International Pledging Conference (IPC) organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations in Rangoon on Sunday.

A total of 51 countries and 22 international organizations participated in the conference which generated about $30 million (P1.3 billion) in new pledges.

Gordon said the amount was on top of the pledges of some $100 million (P43 million) in bilateral and multilateral contributions that the UN had raised before the IPC.

“With this recent turn of events, it is now up to the Myanmar government to open its doors to the ASEAN, members of which have now made available various facilities and assistance... to reach the suffering,” Gordon said.

The conference was meant to mobilize greater international assistance for Myanmar, also known as Burma, in the aftermath of Cyclone “Nargis” that devastated and flooded parts of the country on May 2 and 3.

About 130,000 have died, 19,000 have been injured while 56,000 are still missing. Total damages to agriculture, infrastructure, transportation, communication and industrial sectors have reached $10.67 billion (P466.7 billion).

Gordon said during the conference, Myanmar officially announced that it would welcome assistance and aid from any country or organization, provided there would be no strings attached or politics involved.

At the first meeting of the ASEAN Task Force for the Humanitarian Coalition for the Victims of Cyclone Nargis, Gordon likewise proposed that the task force tap the expertise, network and goodwill that the ASEAN Red Cross/Red Crescent societies have already established.

“The Philippine delegation and I feel that the international community will provide more money and resources to Myanmar once its government has assured access to all areas in dire need,” said Gordon in his statement during the conference.

Philippines pledges relief aid to Myanmar
By Cynthia Balana, Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:36:00 05/28/2008
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view/20080528-139259/
Philippines-pledges-relief-aid-to-Myanmar