Japan has donated over 3,000 bags of rice to families affected by typhoon Odette in Bohol.

According to the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, a total of 3,333 bags of rice were distributed to residents of Balilihan, Bohol on May 17.

Japan Minister Nakata Masahiro led the turnover while Bohol Governor Arthur Yap received the rice donation on behalf of the affected families.

During the turnover, Nakata expressed pleasure to witness firsthand the rice distribution and hoped the rice supply will be a source of revitalization to the affected families.

The initiative is under the framework of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR).

Japan, according to Nakata, remains as the biggest contributor of APTERR rice in the Philippines.

The minister also affirmed that "Japan looks forward to adding more fruitful endeavors to this Japan-APTERR-NFA partnership’s long list of achievements."

“Together, we will overcome any challenges and rise above each storm to attain regional food security,” he said.

APTERR is a regional cooperation started in 2012 to strengthen food security, poverty alleviation and malnourishment eradication among its member countries.

In the Philippines, several thousand tons of stockpiled rice from Japan under APTERR were distributed to thousands of victims of devastating typhoons such as Yolanda in 2013, Ineng in 2015 and Jenny in 2019, among others.

In 2020, Japan also provided 425 metric tons of rice to communities affected by the Taal Volcano eruption. Last year, two metric tons of pre-cooked rice were distributed to families affected by Covid-19 in Quezon City, Manila, parts of Bulacan and Cavite under the APTERR.