ASEAN offers aid to Ketsana victims in Philippines

Deputy Secretary General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Sayakane Sisouvong met with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo on Saturday to offer assistance to typhoon Ketsana victims.

Sisouvong, who arrived in Manila on Saturday, informed Secretary Romulo that the ASEAN has set up an emergency relief fund called "ASEAN Cooperation Fund for Emergency Relief" to assist the victims of Ketsana, locally called Ondoy, that has hit the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, as well as quake victims in Indonesia.

Sisouvong was sent by ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan to assess the extent of the damage caused by the typhoon, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The initial fund for emergency relief will be taken from the ASEAN Development Fund, and will be used to purchase relief items based on the needs of the affected population, according to the department.

During his two-day visit, Sisouvong will meet with Secretary of National Defense and National Disaster Coordinating Council Chairman Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. and Secretary of Social Welfare and Development Esperanza Cabral to discuss the situation on the ground and how ASEAN could further help the affected communities. He also plans to visit an evacuation center.

ASEAN's response to national disasters is guided by the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response, which promotes regional cooperation and collaboration in reducing disaster losses and intensifying joint emergency response.

Source:Xinhua