4 September 2013 - Philippine Embassy in South Africa, headed by Ambassador Constancio R. Vingno, Jr., reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Heads of Mission of the seven-member ASEAN Pretoria Committee (APC) handed over a cash donation to Mercy House, a charitable organization in Pretoria that looks after and cares for victims of human trafficking and domestic violence, on August 19.

The handover was led by the current chairman of the APC, Indonesian Ambassador Sjahril Sabaruddin, who was joined by the six other APC Heads of Mission and their spouses.

Ambassador Sabaruddin expressed the appreciation of APC to Mercy House, which provides assistance not only to locals but also ASEAN nationals residing in South Africa.  He stated that ASEAN has taken steps to intensify efforts to combat the human trafficking problem that threatens the stability and prosperity of the region.

The APC is composed of the Heads of Mission of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  The cash donation was part of the proceeds of the ASEAN Charity Bazaar held last December 01 during the Philippine chairmanship of the APC. END