MANILA, Philippines—South Korea recently donated 950 metric tons of rice to the Philippines as part of a regional cooperation mechanism among several Asian nations.
The aid is aimed at helping victims of calamities last year, particularly the earthquake victims in Mindanao and flood victims in Cagayan Valley, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced Tuesday.
The rice donation arrived at Manila (350 metric tons) and General Santos City (600 metric tons) ports last March and is currently stored at National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses.
The NFA is set to turn over the donation to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for distribution to affected families in Regions XI, XII and Cagayan Valley, according to NFA Chief Judy Carol Dansal.
“On behalf of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, we would like to thank President Moon Jae-in and the people of the Republic of Korea for their generosity in helping our countrymen who suffered and survived a series of earthquakes in Mindanao and flooding in Cagayan Valley,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
The non-glutinous rice donation is part of the emergency food assistance of South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve Tier 3 (APTERR Tier 3) Program.
APTERR aims to strengthen food security, poverty alleviation and malnourishment eradication among ASEAN members and South Korea, Japan and China “without distorting normal trade in the global market.”
“South Korea’s donation is a manifestation of your country’s dependable support and concern to the Filipino people, and rest assured the rice will go beyond its initial intended purpose,” Dar said in a letter to MAFRA Minister Kim Hyeon-Soo.