Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, also chairman of the 15-agency National Disaster Coordinating Council, said the United States, China, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Germany, Belgium and Australia contributed much to the relief operations which continue up to this day.
Apart from the eight countries, at least 15 international non-government organizations (NGOs); have also donated assorted relief items and technical assistance to the government relief operations. Among them were: Spanish Red Cross; Malaysian Red Cross; src Madrid; German Development Foundation; European Union Civil Protection Mech; James Lee Witt and Associates; Washington DC and Emergency Architects Paris, France; World Vision; Telecom Sans Frontier of France, GSCF; Cathay Airways; United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Elma Aldea said that the foreign assistance include cash donation, relief goods, technical services, equipment such as power generators, sea vessels and helicopters, construction materials, satellite telecommunication services, health workers and medicines, water and non food items.
Actual donations of the United States government worth $1 million (not reflected yet in the P80.5 million) comprised of generators, tents, water containers and medical supplies have started arriving at the Air Force’s Villamor Airbase.
The US donation is part of the excess inventory of relief and supplies stored at the US military base in Okinawa, Japan.
Aside from the $1million donations by the US government, the US military also sent a big contingent of US Marines which are now spending about $7 million for relief operations together with Philippine troops.
The NDCC has also received additional pledges from foreign countries like Japan, Spain and Malaysia comprising cash, construction materials, financial package for rehabilitation of communities affected by the typhoons, sea vessels and helicopters and architectural and engineering.
At least 1,062 have died, 1,032 others injured and 552 remained missing in the four successive typhoons that hit the northeastern Luzon provinces particularly the upland towns of Quezon province, Nueva Ecija and the Bicol region.
Some 38,358 houses were destroyed and 133,161 partially damaged while damage to property was placed at P5.7 billion.