We will not let you down, says Australian foreign minister

TACLOBAN CITY—The Australian government has donated 10 million Australian dollars to the Philippine government as part of the humanitarian response to the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: “Haiyan”).

The fresh financial assistance was announced by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop during her visit to this city Sunday.

The donation included AUD$3 million to be coursed through the United Nations Children’s Fund to provide clean water and sanitation, and undertake urgent school rehabilitation; AUD$1 million to the UN Population Fund for health and hygiene support, and supplementary feeding for pregnant and lactating women, and AUD$2 million to assist the World Health Organization, which continues to provide emergency health care and has been helping restore the public health system, particularly in Tacloban City.

Another AUD$3 million will be given to Filipino nongovernment organizations that have been providing shelter and livelihood support to the typhoon victims. AUD$1 million will also be given for transport, medical stores and costs associated with the operation of the Australian field hospital in Tacloban.

Bishop arrived at Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport on Sunday morning from Manila aboard an Australian Royal Air Force plane together with Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Bill Tweddell and was met by Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman.

She made a quick visit to the San Jose area, one of the hardest hit areas in this city, before going to the Australian aid hub located in the airport premises. The Australian team has put up a tent hospital to assist typhoon victims. During the time of Bishop’s visit, 17 patients, all Yolanda survivors, were being treated for serious fractures and injuries.

One of them was Eden Gade, 41, a native of Eastern Samar, whose right leg was amputated as it was hit by a concrete wall that collapsed due to the strong winds brought by Yolanda.

Bishop said her government sympathized with the survivors and had immediately responded by providing assistance to the Philippine government.

She came as the people of the region, particularly Tacloban, marked the first month since Yolanda made landfall and resulted in massive devastation and the death of over 5,000 people, about 2,000 of whom came from Tacloban City alone.

“We say that the Australian government is with the Philippines in its long journey ahead. Australia will not let you down,” she said in her brief message after her visit to the Australian hub.

The Australian team is composed of 50 people, 37 of them belonging to the medical team. The Australian volunteers are scheduled to leave Tacloban today after almost a month’s stay here helping victims of Yolanda, considered the world’s strongest typhoon this year.

Bishop said she was slated to meet with her Philippine counterpart, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, and other cabinet members to discuss Philippine recovery and reconstruction needs, as well as to talk about broader bilateral and regional issues.

Bishop was the highest official from foreign governments that sent delegations to Tacloban to have visited this typhoon-ravaged city.

From Tacloban, she flew to Ormoc City, where she visited the Australian defense contingent engaged in clearing and rehabilitation work at the typhoon-damaged Libertad Elementary School in Barangay (village) Libertad.