21 November 2013 -.  The President of the German Parliament (Bundestag), Dr. Norbert Lammert, at the beginning of the plenary session of the Parliament on November 18 expressed his sympathies for the victims of the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in the Philippines.

Speaking directly to Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe R. Natividad, who was present at the Bundestag, President Lammert spoke of the devastation caused by the typhoon of ‘apocalyptic proportions’. He noted that the images of the aftermath of the typhoon have ‘shocked us’ and emphasized that thousands have died and many people have lost their livelihood and need urgent help.

"We want to express that our thoughts are with you and the people of your country and we want exert best efforts to help alleviate suffering. Our condolences and concern for the families of the victims, our sympathies to the affected people . "

Right after President Lammert’s speech, Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke before the Bundestag and acknowledging the presence of Ambassador Natividad as representative of the Philippine Government, recalled her telephone conversation with President Benigno S. Aquino III and Germany’s commitment to help the victims of the typhoon.

On the same day, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle also announced that Germany’s emergency aid will be increased by an additional two million euros, bringing the total of Germany’s humanitarian aid to 6.5 million euros. On top of this, German citizens have also raised 12.9 million euros through donations, or almost twice as much as the German government’s contribution. END