21 March 2014 - On March 10 , Philippine Ambassador to Italy Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. personally accompanied Director-General José Graziano da Silva of the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) during the latter’s official visit to Tacloban and Samar. 

Director General Graziano da Silva was in the Philippines to witness the implementation and effects of FAO's Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) response program.  FAO has committed to support the recovery of fishing and farming livelihoods in the longer term.       Ambassador Reyes is the Philippine Permanent Representative to the FAO based in Rome.

Ambassador Reyes and the Director General travelled with Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala to Basey, a municipality of Samar province, in the Eastern Visayas.  There, the delegation met with affected farmers and fishermen, and handed over fertilizer and tools to the farmers supported by FAO.

In a few days following the devastation of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), FAO immediately presided in an informal emergency donors meeting at its headquarters in Rome.  Around 20 FAO member/donor countries attended the meeting, namely, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, EU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA.

FAO itself responded to the Philippine Government request for support to affected rice farmers, providing 75 percent of the Government-requested rice seeds.  Thanks to a coordinated response by FAO, affected farmers were able to go back to their fields for the December/January planting season.  These farmers will soon be harvesting this May 2014 the first rice crop since the typhoon hit the country.        

FAO has also committed to a long-term livelihood support for farming and fishing communities in the typhoon-ravaged areas in the Philippines. END