South Korea has donated 1,000 metric tons of rice to the Philippines as assistance to victims of typhoons in Catanduanes.
According to the Korean Embassy in the Philippines, the Korean government’s rice donation was made under the Tier 3 program of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR).
APTERR is “a regional cooperation with the aims to strengthen food security, poverty alleviation, and malnourishment eradication within the region without distorting normal trade in the global market,” according to its website. The objective of APTERR parties is to ensure “food security in the ASEAN plus the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.”
A turnover ceremony for the donation was held recently at the National Food Authority’s regional office in Batangas.
Counsellor Lee Sang-hui attended the ceremony and gave a speech acknowledging the Korea-Philippines bilateral relations and cooperation on behalf of Korean Ambassador Dong-man Han. She was accompanied by First Secretary Seah Park from the Korean Embassy.
“Over the past 70 years, Korea and the Philippines have successfully developed friendly and cooperative relations. As a result, we were able to witness that various cooperation has been strengthened in many fields including economy, defense and culture,” said Lee.
Lee said this year marked the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War to which Philippines sent more than 7,000 soldiers to help.
“Thanks to that, Korea can enjoy the present freedom and prosperity. This appreciation remains unchanged and it has served as a strong support for Korea-Philippines relations,” she said.
Korea, she said, has been a member of APTERR since 2013 and has been participating in joint emergency response to the Philippines.
In November, the Korean government provided $200,000 humanitarian assistance to the Philippines after Typhoon “Rolly” hit the country.
Also attending the ceremony were NFA Administrator Judy Dansal, Agriculture Assistant Sec. Arnel de Mesa, Social Welfare and Development Director Emmanuel Privado, NFA Region IV Regional Director Piolito Santos, NFA Assistant Administrator Gerry Ambrosio, and NFA Assistant Administrator for Marketing Operations Lemuel Pagayunan.