The Japanese Embassy in Manila said the Japanese government approved the delivery of the emergency rice using Japan’s contribution to the ASEAN Plus Three Rice Reserve (APTERR).
“APTERR is a regional cooperation established in 2004 to ensure food security in an emergency caused by temporary and large scale calamities. Japan has funded so far $6.64 million in total since the start of APTERR,” the embassy said.
It said this will be the second assistance to the Philippines using the framework of APTERR.
Yolanda tore through Visayas and Southern Luzon last Nov. 8, leaving more than 5,000 dead as of Friday evening.
The Japanese embassy cited the friendly relations between Japan and the Philippines, and the “dire needs” of the affected people for the emergency rice assistance.
It also said past emergency assistance for the Philippines through APTERR included rice assistance worth $200,000 for the victims of typhoon Pablo in 2012.
Japan earlier sent Japan Disaster Relief Medical Team and Japan’s Self-Defense Force Units for victims of Yolanda.
It also provided:
– Emergency grant aid worth $30 million
– Emergency relief goods worth $600,000
– Assistance through Japanese NGOs (JPF) worth $1.5 million
– Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) of Asian Development Bank (ADB) worth $20 million
— LBG, GMA News
