Algeria donates initial 15,000 rice bags for Yolanda victims

THE Algerian government will donate 146,000 sacks of rice to  victims of supertyphoon Yolanda in the Visayas.

Algerian Ambassador to the Philippines Abdelmalek Bouheddou handed over the initial shipment of 15,600 sacks to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at the Cebu International Port yesterday.

The first shipment is part of the 6,400 metric tons of rice donated by the country.

“This aid shows that despite the distance separating our two countries we can in time of adversity extend our hand for help,” Bouheddou said.

About 30 container vans each storing 526 sacks of Vietnam long grain rice  arrived last Thursday.

The  remaining rice shipment is expected to arrive at the end of February and by brought to Tacloban by Navy cargo ships.

DSWD Regional Director Mercedita Jabagat one fourth of the donations will be distributed to Bantayan Island, Daan Bantayan, Santa Fe, San Remigio, Madridejos, Bogo and Borbon in northern Cebu.

The  DSWD’s region 8 office will repack the rice into 25 kilos in each  food pack for Tacloban.

Each food pack will be enough to last a family  two weeks.

Jabagat said recipients will be identified through the family access cards issued to them.

Other families can receive food packs through the Food for Work program.

Distribution of food relief will be until the first quarter of the year she added.

Another European leader, Norwegian Foreign Minister Brende, will visit areas worst hit by supertyphoon Yolanda on Jan. 7 to 9, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN).

Brende is expected to visit Leyte and meet with UN representatives including officials from the FAO’s Philippine office.

Oslo committed P1.45 billion for relief efforts and longer-term disaster response related to Yolanda.Correspondent Christine Estrella with an Inquirer report