Algeria gives Vietnam rice for ‘Yolanda’ survivors

CEBU CITY—Vietnamese rice paid for by Algeria will be rationed to survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in Eastern Visayas and northern Cebu in the next few weeks, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Algeria, an oil-rich Arab-North African nation, is donating 6,400 metric tons (MT) of rice worth some $3 million through the DSWD, its regional director, Mercedita Jabagat, said.

The donation “is meant to aid the most food-insecure households among the vulnerable families identified by the Philippine authorities in the areas devastated by the horrible typhoon,” Algerian Ambassador Abdelaziz Bouteflika said in an interview over the weekend here.

“This aid shows that despite the distance separating our two countries, we can, in time of adversity, extend our helping hand by reaching out and giving our hearts in a gesture of solidarity with the friendly people of the Philippines,” he added.

An initial shipment of 780 MT, consisting of 520 50-kilo bags, was turned over on Saturday by Bouteflika to DSWD officials led by Jabagat. It arrived in 30 units of 20-foot container vans at the Cebu International Port on Jan. 2.

The second shipment will arrive within the month, Bouteflika said in an interview.

Jabagat said a Navy ship would transport the rice to Tacloban City for repacking by DSWD personnel. She said the Leyte capital was chosen as main beneficiary because more families were affected by Yolanda there compared with other areas.

Survivors in northern Cebu, however, will receive one-fourth of the rice donation, she said.

Bogo City and the towns of Daanbantayan, Sta. Fe, Madridejos, Bantayan, Borbon and San Remegio had the most houses damaged by the typhoon. Carmel Loise Matus, Inquirer Visayas