Indonesia Sends Aid To Typhoon Affected Philippines

Jakarta, Nov 13 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has sent relief aid worth US$2 million to the Philippines to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Indonesia has sent assistance to help the Filipinos affected by Typhoon Haiyan as a token of solidarity presented to a fellow ASEAN member nation, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said on Wednesday. Indonesia`s Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono made a symbolic presentation of the assistance to Filipino Ambassador to Indonesia Maria Rosario C. Aguinaldo. The assistance includes 75 ton goods and logistical aid worth US$1 million, as well as US$1 million transferred to a current account. Indonesia`s Defense Minister deployed three Hercules C-130 aircraft and a number of personnel to transport the relief aid on Wednesday. On Thursday, three planes will fly to the Philippines again to send the assistance.The 75 ton in goods and logistical help consists of among other things food, food supplement, blankets, clothes, kids ware, medicines and 10 electricity generators. The deadly typhoon had slammed into central Philippines last Friday, with the wind velocity touching 320 kilometers per hour. Nearly 800,000 Filipinos have been evacuated and around 4 million people have been affected. Meanwhile, ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh contacted the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Albert Del Rosario to inform the latter that he was ready to facilitate ASEAN cooperation and coordination through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan. "The ASEAN stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Philippines in these difficult times and we are ready to display the ASEAN spirit from a caring community for the affected population in the country," Secretary General Minh stated in his capacity as ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator. His statement was posted on the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat`s official website on Monday. In a letter sent to Secretary Del Rosario, the ASEAN Secretary-General also expressed "great concern and sadness" for the devastation wrought by the super typhoon Haiyan.