MANILA – The Philippines received on Monday a shipment of 300 metric tons of Japanese rice donated by Japan to be distributed to Typhoon Odette affected families in Cebu, Bohol and Surigao del Norte.
National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Judy Carol Dansal welcomed the rice assistance from the Japanese government under the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) initiative.
“We hope these tons of rice will be delivered soon to nourish typhoon affected families,” Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa said.
He noted that as the Philippines’ neighbor and friend, Japan is fully committed to support the country’s efforts to build back better from the typhoon damage.
According to the Japan Embassy, several thousand tons of stockpiled rice from Japan under APTERR were distributed to previous typhoon victims in the Philippines: during Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, Typhoon Ineng in 2015 and Typhoon Jenny in 2019, to name a few.
It added that Japan also provided 425 metric tons of rice to households affected by the Taal Volcano eruption and last year, pre-cooked rice were distributed to families affected by COVID-19 in Quezon City and the City of Manila as well as selected parts of Bulacan and Cavite. - Florenda Corpuz
(Photos courtesy of Japan Embassy, Manila)
