Obama expresses condolences to flood victims

MANILA, Philippines - US President Barack Obama expressed yesterday his condolences for the tremendous loss of life and devastation caused by tropical storm “Sendong.”

“In the spirit of our long history of friendship and cooperation with the Philippines, the United States stands ready to assist the Philippine people and government should humanitarian assistance and recovery efforts be needed,” Obama said in a statement.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also expressed sadness for the devastation and deaths caused by the recent typhoon.

“The US government stands ready to assist Philippine authorities as they respond to this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected,” she said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, meanwhile, expressed sadness over the disaster, while Japan and the United Kingdom also relayed their condolences to the victims of the recent typhoon.

UK Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne said the loss of life caused by flooding in the Philippines is tragic.

Foreign aid for flood victims were committed, with the latest coming from the Australian government, which promised to provide P55 million.

The Chinese embassy in Manila earlier donated P440,000 for the disaster relief efforts of the Philippine government.

The European Union (EU) expressed yesterday condolences to the families of the victims of the recent storm tragedy that hit Mindanao.

EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso sent a letter to President Aquino on Monday to express his deepest condolences to the families of all those who have lost their lives in this weekend’s tragic events in the wake of Sendong.

Ledoux pledged assistance to the victims and affected areas.

“His sympathy goes out also to all those who have seen their homes and belongings destroyed or damaged, and who now face the difficult task of cleaning up and rebuilding their lives,” Ledoux said.

“The ‘Bayanihan’ spirit of the Philippines always comes to the fore at times like this, and without the efforts of all those who are supporting and helping the affected victims, whether from the civil or uniformed services, or as ordinary citizens, the losses would have been even greater.”

The EU has already dispatched a team of humanitarian experts on the ground to identify specific needs in order to decide on the appropriate EU response and support to be extended to the victims.

In addition, individual EU Member States have also sent their humanitarian experts to the affected areas in order to assess the required needs.

From early reports received, the major immediate needs are in the areas of food, water, clothing, blankets, lights, mosquito nets, shelter and medical assistance.

The forthcoming concrete support from the EU and its Member States is likely to be confirmed in the coming days.

The Philippines has been badly affected by typhoons and floods this year and the EU, through the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), has already provided P262 million (4.6 million Euros) of humanitarian assistance, mainly after typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel.”

Through ECHO, the EU has also been supporting community-based disaster preparedness projects in the Philippines, allocating more than P319 million (5.6 million euros) over the past six years.