18 December 2013 - Philippine Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg & EU, H.E. Victoria S. Bataclan attended the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of Belgian First Aid and Support Team (B-FAST) on December 07 in Brussels. The B-FAST’s officials, Foreign Minister and Chairman of B-FAST H.E. Didier Reynders, Belgian Minister of Health H.E. Laurette Onkelinx and officials of Manneken Pis Society led the ceremonies.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of Manneken Pis wearing a B-FAST uniform. The iconic statue is dressed in various costumes during special occasions.
Ambassador Bataclan, in her speech during the event, said that: “Just like the Manneken Pis is Belgium’s hero, the B-FAST team is our hero!!! They provided water purification equipment and distributed thousands of liters of drinking water to the people in Palo, Leyte. They also treated thousands of victims in the hospital they set up.”
Foreign Minister Reynders highlighted B-FAST’s successful missions for the last 10 years, the most recent of which was to the Philippines to aid victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Minister Reynders outlined the unique power of B-Fast as a mechanism of cooperation between the different agencies’ (private/public) in Belgium that can rapidly be activated after a calamity occurs abroad. B-FAST is an agency that combines the expertise of all the leaders of agencies in Belgium in order to send teams and relief items to the affected areas. The B-FAST was part of the team under the European Union (EU) civil defence mechanism.
Ambassador Bataclan met with the B-FAST’s officials and volunteers who shared their experiences in the Philippines. The Ambassador noted that “words cannot express how truly grateful a nation we are for your unconditional support during these most trying times”. END
