21 January 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Madrid and the Federation of the Municipalities of Madrid (FMM) held a ceremony to recognize 44 municipalities of Madrid and nine Spanish non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for their acts of solidarity with the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
The event was held on January 15 at the FMM office in this Spanish capital city.
The ceremony started with an exhibit of photos taken by the volunteers of the Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras (BUSF) during their mission in Tacloban, Ormoc and Roxas, followed by a video clip of BUSF relief operations in the same areas.
In his remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos C. Salinas recounted the immediate and generous response of the Spanish government in bringing assistance to the Philippines, Spain being one of the first countries to be present in the devastated areas. He referred to the close historical and cultural ties that exist between the Philippines and Spain as the impulse for the assistance. He reiterated the appreciation from the Philippine Government and people to all the municipalities who have helped and are helping the Philippines.
Mayor of Alcorcon and FMM President David Perez stressed that the recognition goes for the solidarity of the people of Madrid who have helped in one way or another through their respective municipalities. He also appealed to all the members of the FMM to continue to help the Filipino people as there is still a great task to do to rebuild the affected areas even after three months have already passed after the disaster.
Following are the names of the municipalities that contributed to the Philippines: Alcala de Henares, Alcobendas, Alcorcon, Aldea del Fresno, Arroyomolinos, Boadilla del Monte, Brunete, Collado Mediano, Collado Villalba, Coslada, Etremera, Fresnedillas de la Oliva, Fuenlabrada, Galapagar, Garganta de los Montes, Getafe, Guadarrama, Hoyo de Manzanares, Las Rozas de Madrid, Loeches, Madrid, Majadahonda, Miraflores de la Sierra, Mostoles, Paracuellos del Jarama, Parla, Patones, Pozuelo de Alarcon, Puentes Viejas, Rivas Vaciamadrid, San Fernando de Henares, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, San Martin de Valdeiglesias, San Sebastian de los Reyes, Torrejon de Ardoz, Torrelodones, Valdemoro, Valdepielagos, Valverde de Alcala, Velilla de San Antonio, Villa del Prado, Villanueva de la Cañana, Villar del Olmo, and Villaviciosa de Odon.
The nine NGOs are as follows: UNICEF Spanish Committee, Spanish National Red Cross, Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional, UN High Commission for Refugees, Caritas, Action Against Hunger, Misioneros, Archdiocese of Alcala de Henares, Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras.
The contributions of the Professional Association of Pharmacists in Madrid and the Cofares Foundation, a pharmaceutical company, were also recognized.
The FMM is composed of mayors of the 179 municipalities of the Autonomous Region of Madrid. It serves as the coordinating unit for all the municipalities in the region with the objective of enhancing their service to the public. END