20 November 2013 – Philippine Ambassador to France Cristina G. Ortega symbolically received a check amounting to Php 250,000.00 from the Filipino Community Associations in France paid to the order of the Philippine Red Cross for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

“I am very happy to receive this donation and will make sure that this gets to the victims of typhoon Yolanda through the Philippine Red Cross,” Ambassador Ortega said.

Aside from the donation to the Philippine Red Cross, the Filipino community in France has also organized fundraising events for the victims of typhoon Yolanda. One of these events is a concert on November 19 at the American Cathedral in Paris. St. Bernadette’s Church in Paris was likewise open on November 16 to receive donations.

The French Government, for its part, has been active in the relief efforts. The Crisis Center of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been operating 24/7 since November 09 to coordinate the bilateral aid from France.

On November 12, 10 tons of relief items from France landed in Cebu accompanied by two officers from the French Civil Defense. The following weekend, another cargo plane carrying 100 tons of relief items left Paris for Cebu.

The Mayor of Paris and the City of Lille and its environs have both donated 100,000 euros and 70,000 euros, respectively. French company Lafarge donated 1,000,000 euros coursed through its office in the Philippines, while the CEO of Schneider Electric donated 70,000 euros and offered to match the donations raised by its 120,000 employees in the coming days.

More than two dozen French NGOs and associations have offered their humanitarian assistance to the Philippines. French citizens have also been sending messages of sympathy and solidarity and offering to help in any way they can.END