China ramps up aid for ‘Odette’ victims

THE People’s Republic of China thru its Philippine Embassy and the large Fil-Chinese community in the country, has again step forward in rushing aid to the victims of Typhoon ‘Odette’ that devastated huge areas of Mindanao, Visayas and the Mimaropa region last week.

As soon as the typhoon moved out of the country, Chinese Ambassador HE Huang Xilian, on December 21, 2021, said they have prepared 20,000 ‘food packs’ for immediate dispatch to the provinces of Cebu, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro and Surigao, which are among the provinces that suffered the wrath of the typhoon.

“With the help of the local Filipino-Chinese Community, these relief goods are on their way to Cebu, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro City, Surigao City, Negros Oriental, etc.,” the ambassador said.

The community social media page, ‘Bayanihao,’ which is focused on the help and assistance to Filipinos by the Fil-Chinese community, also reported that as of December 23, 2021, the Chinese government has ramped up its rice donation, from an initial 4,800 metric tons to 10,000 metric tons, enough to help feed some 1.6 million Filipinos, over half of which are direct calamity victims.

These donations are on top of the $1-million (nearly P50 million) given by the government of China to the Philippine government as “emergency assistance” after a telephone conversation between Pres. Duterte and Pres. Xi Jinping.

The official press statement released by sides on the two leaders’ conversation last December 21, 2021, said that, “(President) Xi, on behalf of the Chinese government and people as well as in his own name, expressed deep condolences to the victims of the disaster and extended sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured.”

The Chinese government further bared that the Chinese leader “was shocked to learn that the Philippines was hit by the typhoon, which has caused heavy casualties and property losses.”

The Chinese President further said that his county stands ready to provide assistance to the Philippines within its capacity, adding that he “believes that the people in the disaster areas will surely defeat the disaster and rebuild their homes.”

Odette made landfall last December 16, 2021 and by the time it headed off towards the West Philippine Sea the following day, it caused devastations in the Caraga region, Mindanao, nearly the entire Visayas and as far as Region 4B (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan).

The United States, which claims to be the country’s ‘close friend’ and ‘strategic ally’ only made a paltry donation of  $200,000, equivalent to a measly P10 million for the victims of Typhoon ‘Odette.’ The amount is the lowest among all countries and world organizations that pledged to help the Philippines recover from the devastation caused by the typhoon.

Accompanied by Sen. Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, Pres. Duterte on December 18, 2021, and on the next day, made initial aerial inspection of the affected areas—Negros Island, Surigao, including the island of Siargao, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Cebu— to see for themselves the extent of the typhoon’s damage that has been placed initially at more than P13 billion.

Ruben Carlo Asuncion, chief economist of Union Bank, in an interview by the Philippine Star on December 20, 2021, warned that the damage caused by Odette could result to a 30 percent reduction of the country’s projected ‘gross domestic product’ (GDP) this year due to the “considerable scope of devastation.”

This means, Asuncion added, the country’s expected 6 to 8 percent economic growth this year could stay at just 6 percent.

Aside from China, other countries that pledged help to the Philippines, in a report filed by the Phil. Daily Inquirer (PDI) on December 23, 2021, are: Canada (P122 million in peso equivalent); South Korea (P100 million in peso equivalent); European Union (P96.4 million in peso equivalent); Ireland (14.2 million in peso equivalent); New Zealand (P17 million in peso equivalent).

The United States, for its part, made a paltry donation of $200,000, equivalent to a measly P10 million.

“The Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, earlier said it would send generators, camping tents, sleeping pads, portable water containers and tarpaulins for use as roof covers to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“The World Food Programme is also providing critical emergency logistics support to the DSWD by transporting some 70,400 family food packs to highly devastated areas,” the PDI reported further.

Also assisting is the Unicef  (United Nations Children’s Fund) whose “personnel were already on the ground performing assessments in collaboration with the Philippine government and partners,” the PDI report added.