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THE
government Sunday pledged to help make up for time lost
in terms of relief efforts to Burma, through a 30-member
medical team that will leave Monday to bring medical
relief and goods to disaster victims there.
Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement that while
Burma was “too slow to accept aid,” now that it has
opened its doors to outside help, the Philippines will
do its best to help its people.
Bunye
said the government will coordinate with its fellow
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
“on the level of aid that is needed for each of us to
send to
Myanmar.”
Deputy
Presidential Spokesperson Anthony Golez said President
Arroyo will send off Monday a 30-member medical team
that will bring medicine, relief goods and $300,000 in
cash to help disaster victims in Burma.
Golez
said the Air Force C-130 “Hercules” bearing the medical
team and relief goods would leave at
7 a.m.
“They
will do relief work for two weeks,” Golez said.
Burma
had been widely criticized for initially refusing the
entry of foreign aid workers to help in relief efforts,
especially in remote parts of the country devastated by
a cyclone that hit it earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the
US
has urged the Philippines to help promote a stronger
Asean to bring security and stability in the region now
facing calamities, food crisis and unstable security
situation specifically in the Korean Peninsula.
US
Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney said the
Philippines, has played an important role in uniting
Asean to convince Burma to allow international aid
donors reach the cyclone-devastated areas.
“It is
really an extraordinatory tragic situation for Burma and
we [applaud] the important role of the
Philippines,
and the Asean, in pushing to help get international
assistance to Burma,” said Kenney.
Kenney
said the strong message of Asean has convinced Burma’s
junta to allow foreign aid assistance from countries
like the United Kingdom and France to deliver aid to
affected communities in
Burma.
“We’re
one with the
Philippines
in getting international assistance [to
Burma]
as well as in dealing with [security] issues like the
six-party talks on North Korea,” Kenney said.
She
added that the
Philippines
contributes a strong voice in Asean in encouraging the
six-party talks to bring peaceful solution to the
nuclear proliferation in
North Korea.
Two of
the six countries involved in the six-party talks—China,
Japan, and South Korea, are key dialogue partners of
Asean. Other countries involved are the US, Russia, and
North Korea. |
