Government announces assistance for flood-hit Philippines

The Minister of State for Trade and Development, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has announced Government support for the relief operation in the Philippines following the weekend’s typhoon and flooding. 

€100,000 has been made available to humanitarian agency Plan Ireland for its relief effort in the Mindanao region. The Government has also offered emergency supplies from its stockpile in Subang, Malaysia.

“The full scale of the casualties in the Philippines is not yet clear, but it certainly runs into the many hundreds, with tens of thousands left homeless,” Minister O’Sullivan said.

“I believe we need to respond quickly and have therefore authorised €100,000 for Plan Ireland’s emergency response operation in the Philippines. I have also asked officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to prepare for a possible airlift of emergency shelter supplies to the affected regions.

“We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming hours and days, including through our Embassy in Singapore.”

20th December, 2011

Notes to the Editor

• For further information, visit www.irishaid.ie or contact Fionnuala Quinlan, Press Officer, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 01-4082653 or 087-9099975.

• Irish Aid is the Government’s overseas aid programme. It is managed by the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

• Irish Aid maintains emergency stocks within the UN Humanitarian Relief Depot system located in or close to crisis-prone parts of the world. Through this network Irish Aid maintains supplies in Panama, Malaysia (Subang), Dubai, Ghana and Italy (Brindisi).