29 November 2013 - Mr. Christian Paradis, Canada’s Federal Minister of International Development, announced on November 20  an increase in the amount of aid to the Philippines.

In addition to the CAD 20 million (approximately Php 825.5 million) previously announced, another CAD 5 million (approximately Php 206.3 million) worth of emergency relief goods will be sent shortly to the Philippines, using two chartered aircraft.

The emergency relief goods consist of 5,000 individual packages containing tents, blankets, water purification, cooking and sanitation equipment, and basic tools.  These goods are part of the Canadian inventory being maintained by the Canadian Red Cross that are used in response to disasters. 

Minister Paradis visited the Philippines from November 25 to 28 to oversee Canada’s relief operations. The Canadian relief efforts are being coordinated from a Department of National Defense command post in Roxas City.  Minister Paradis visited Tacloban and Ormoc.

MInister Paradis confirmed that the 170-member Canadian Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is already on the ground in the Philippines helping deliver relief goods and other assistance to hard-to-reach areas.

The Canadian Red Cross also confirmed during the meeting that it has set up two emergency hospitals in Ormoc which are ready to accept patients.

The current focus is on delivering emergency relief.  An assessment will be done by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) at a later date to determine in which areas the Canadian government can contribute to longer-term re-development efforts.

The Minister encourages Filipino-Canadian donors to channel their donations to any one of the accredited relief agencies listed in CIDA's website to benefit from the donation matching program previously announced by the Canadian government.  END