Japan donates 300 MT of rice to Mayon victims
AT least 300 metric tons (MT) milled rice have been donated to the families affected by the Mayon volcano eruption.
The Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), under the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Tier 3 Program, recently turned over the rice to Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban in Camalig, Albay.
Also present during the turn-over were Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Director Michael Christopher Mathay and DA-National Food Authority (NFA) Special Assistant to the Administrator Roger Navarro.
During the event, a total of 300-MT milled rice stocks equivalent to 10,000 30-kilogram bags were distributed to the affected families identified by the DSWD.
“We are not merely witnessing the ceremonial exchange of rice donation but more so the exchange of hope and support from our dependable partners in the ASEAN Region.
This contribution is a testament to the unbreakable bond that binds us together as a global community,” Panganiban said.
On behalf of the Philippine government, the DA official thanked the government of Japan and the APTERR Secretariat for the donation that will benefit 10,000 families displaced by the calamity.
The family-beneficiaries in Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan, Tabaco City, Malilipot, Sto. Domingo and Ligao City will receive 30-kilogram bags of rice.
From the 10,000 beneficiaries, at least 1,441 shall be granted rice assistance through the DSWD’s Food for Work Program in the affected areas.
The APTERR is a regional cooperation scheme among 10 ASEAN member states plus three countries that include China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
The cooperation aims at strengthening food security and reducing poverty in East Asia.
Other officials present during the activity include APTERR Secretariat and MAFF-Japan Representative Akinori Ando, Albay Governor Edcel Greco Lagman, Camalig Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo, Jr. and NFA Acting Assistant Regional Manager Gerard Lim.
