US, China commit aid for typhoon victims

WASHINGTON (via PLDT) – The US government sent $100,000 in emergency aid as President George W. Bush expressed condolences to the Philippine government over the devastation left by typhoon “Frank.”

US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte relayed the condolences to President Arroyo in a courtesy call at the Intercon Willard Hotel here Monday morning (10 p.m. Manila time).

Negroponte noted the devastation wreaked by the typhoon in the Philippines over the weekend, including the sinking of a ferry that left hundreds of passengers still missing.

“We want to express our condolences to the government and the people of the Philippines, particularly the family members of those who have been affected by this tragedy,” Negroponte said.

“On behalf of the United States government, our hearts go out to the government and people of the Philippines, particularly the victims of this terrible tragedy which has just occurred,” he said.

US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney said Bush would personally convey his sympathies during his meeting with Mrs. Arroyo today at the White House.

Kenney also expressed her “deep sense of sorrow” over the tragedy in the sinking of M/V Princess of the Stars.

The US government sent the emergency aid, coursed through the US Embassy in Manila. The $100,000 donation is the maximum amount that can be sent to the embassy without prior authorization from the US Congress.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the money was forwarded to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).

China also sent $100,000 emergency cash assistance coursed through the Chinese Embassy in Manila.

Chinese Ambassador Song Tao will personally hand over the donation to acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Francisco Benedicto.

“The Chinese government and people wish to express deep condolences and sincere sympathies to the Philippine people and the families of the victims. As close neighbor and good friend to the Philippines, we share the sufferings of the victims and their families,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

The embassy said Chinese President Hu Jintao immediately sent a condolence message to President Arroyo.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechie also sent a letter of condolence to his counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo.

In Washington, Mrs. Arroyo said she was grateful for the US government’s “emergency aid and assistance to help the Philippines in this hour of need.”

She pointed out that since she arrived in the US on Saturday, “we have been in constant contact in Manila as we track and direct rescue and recovery operations.”

Negroponte and Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said USNS Stockham, a roll-on roll-off vessel of the Honolulu-based US Pacific Command, was expected to reach the site near Sibuyan Island where the ship capsized at 3 a.m. Philippine time.

The Stockham carried HH-60 Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopters, Dureza said.

US officials also announced that a P-3 Orion aircraft from Okinawa, Japan would now be operating from Clark in Pampanga to scan the areas around the ship.

Kenney explained the aircraft has the capability to scan a wide area and look several meters under water.

She said the US Navy ship and the aircraft would be in the country for as long as needed.

Philippine rescue teams were battling furious seas and high winds Monday in a desperate hunt for more survivors of the 24,000-ton Princess of the Stars that sank with 862 people aboard.

So far, 48 people from the ferry have turned up alive, raising hopes that more will be found on the many tiny islands nearby.

“We’re deeply grateful for the response by the US government, including the US Navy,” Mrs. Arroyo told reporters here after the meeting with Negroponte.

Negroponte and Kenney also said the US government is willing to increase its assistance in the rescue and recovery efforts if requested by the Philippine government.

“In addition, we have been talking with our naval authorities and they are looking at other ways which they might also be of assistance,” said Negroponte, who served as US ambassador to Manila.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) who was in the meeting, told Negroponte that they are still on rescue operation mode, in the hope that more survivors would be found.

Teodoro later told reporters that there was an “open offer” from the US government for more help during calamities.

The Catholic Church in the US also announced its plans to donate up to $55,000 in assistance to typhoon victims, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said.

In a statement posted on its website yesterday, the CBCP said the donation will be coursed through the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the humanitarian agency of the United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

“CRS is working closely with the National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, in assessing damages, meeting immediate needs and planning for longer term aid,” the CBCP said.

The European Commission (EC) also expressed condolences over the tragedy and devastation left by Frank.

In a message to President Arroyo, EC President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso said the European Union was saddened to learn that so many people lost their lives in the ferry sinking.

“On behalf of the European Commission and on my own behalf, allow me to offer you and the people of the Republic of the Philippines our sincere condolences and the expression of our deepest sympathy and solidarity with the families of the victims,” Barroso said. – With Pia Lee-Brago, AP