Philippine News
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2013 6
Kid gives savings as Japan triples aid BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer AFTER SEEING on television the havoc Supertyphoon “Yolanda” wrought in the Eastern Visayas, 6-year-old Shoichi Kondoh broke his piggy bank and handed over his savings of 5,000 Japanese yen (P2,000) to a Philippine Embassy official in Tokyo. It may be a small amount compared to the total Japanese government assistance of $52.1 million (nearly P2.3 billion), but the Japanese boy’s action has emerged as a symbol of the world’s generosity to the Philippines in the wake of Yolanda’s fury. “Consul Bryan Dexter Lao expressed the embassy’s gratitude for this very sincere gesture of kindness and sympathy from the embassy’s youngest cash donor,” the embassy said, referring to Kondoh’s gesture. Kondoh, a preschooler, handed over his donation on Thursday accompanied by hismother, Miho Kondoh. He also signed
the condolence book at the embassy. The boy’s personal contribution was apart from the Japanese government’s emergency funding for the Philippines. Aid tripled
The Japanese government boosted its aid with a fresh allocation of $20 million (P872 million), according to the Japanese Embassy in Manila. The amount will be spent for food, shelter, water and sanitation supplies to be funneled through the World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef ) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the embassy said. Japan has also deployed a 25member medical team to the Philippines, reciprocating the Philippines’ help following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that swept northeastern Japan and killed more than 15,000 people. Aid tripled
In Tokyo, the Japanese gov-
ernment said it was tripling its emergency aid package for the Philippines as Tokyo prepares to send as many as 1,000 troops to help with relief efforts. The Japanese foreign ministry said it would now give $30 million in emergency grant aid to the disaster-struck nation, up from a previous $10 million. Another $2 million worth of emergency relief goods and assistance is being delivered through Japanese nongovernment organizations. Altogether, the total package would reach about $52 million, including a $20-million contribution to Japan’s poverty reduction fund at the Manila-based Asian Development Bank. Comparison with China
The major contribution to the Philippines from Asia’s second biggest economy has drawn comparisons to the relatively little aid coming from China, now the region’s largest economy. Japan said it was readying to send as many as 1,000 members of its Self-Defense Forces
www.canadianinquirer.net
Six-year-old Japanese boy Shoichi Kodoh donates contents of his piggy bank, amounting to 5,000 yen (or CAD $50) to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK.COM
(SDF) to the Philippines in what is believed to be the largest single relief operation team ever sent abroad by Japan’s de facto military. It is expected to be the first time that Japanese troops are active in Leyte province—which was pummeled by Yolanda— since the island turned into one of the biggest battlegrounds of World War II, when US forces
counter invaded in 1944 during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Previous overseas missions by the SDF, which adheres to the country’s postwar pacifist constitution, have usually numbered in the hundreds. The defense forces have helped in previous regional relief efforts, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. ■