PRESS RELEASE

NYPM 04-2012

23 FEBRUARY 2012

GEORGIA EXTENDS HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO SENDONG VICTIMS

NEW YORK, NY 23 February 2012 In what was described as a “sign of solidarity with the Filipino people,” the Government of Georgia turned over the amount of US$40,000 as humanitarian assistance to the victims of typhoon Sendong which recently hit Northern Mindanao and Southern Visayas in the Philippines.

In simple turnover ceremonies at the Permanent Mission of the Philippines here, Ambassador Alexander Lomaia, Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations, said that the Georgia Government made the “modest contribution” as an expression of solidarity with the Government and people of the Philippines.

Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan, Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations, expressed his personal gratitude as well as that of the Philippine Government to Ambassador Lomaia for “this concrete demonstration of the special ties and relations between the Philippine and Georgia Governments and peoples.”

“This will help in a significant way in the rehabilitation efforts underway in the affected areas. The Filipino people will forever appreciate this humanitarian gesture on the part of our friends from Georgia,” Ambassador Cabactulan added.

“This humanitarian assistance from Georgia certainly bolsters our Government’s current rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in areas hard hit by typhoon Sendong, including Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities in northern Mindanao,” said Ambassador Cabactulan.

“This gesture of Georgia also shows how, within the United Nations, we continue to be bound by a common humanity that overcomes distance and helps comfort those who are suffering,” added Ambassador Cabactulan.

The United Nations, through the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), continues with its flash appeal for Governments to contribute to the ongoing rehabilitation efforts in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City. The Philippine Government is appreciative of the response already received from Georgia and other countries such as Spain, Luxembourg and Japan. END

Reference:

Robert E.A. Borje
Second Secretary
Legal Affairs, Press and Information and Interfaith Dialogue

Philippine Mission to the United Nations
556 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10036
Telephone No. 212.764.1300 ext. 23