MARAMING SALAMAT TURKEY Turkish Aid Arrives in the Philippines A Turkish Airlines A330-243F cargo aircraft touched down at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Monday carrying 65 tons of relief good and supplies from Turkey. According to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay, this will be the first in a series of aid shipments headed to the Philippines. The first batch of aid includes tents, blankets, kitchen tools, and other necessary equipment, said Atalay. He added that the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency along with the Prime Ministers Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate would continue to supply aid once needs were identified. The Deputy Prime Minister joined the flight to the Philippines along with heads of Turkish government relief agencies and aid organizations. In addition to the one thousand tents, eight thousand blankets, one thousand kitchen tools, and food on board the flight, Turkey also dispatched search and rescue teams to be deployed in areas where emergency crews are still searching for survivors. The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier sent a telegram to President Aquino expressing his condolences and pledged to deliver aid and support to the Philippines. In spite of the Philippines being a disaster-prone region accustomed to earthquakes, tropical cyclones, and volcanoes, Typhoon Yolanda has been the deadliest natural disaster on record for the country.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 14:11:29 +0000