Spain's Queen Sofia to visit Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Queen Sofia of Spain is set to visit the country next month, Spanish Ambassador Jorge Domecq said yesterday.

In an interview with government-run television PTV-4, Domecq said the Queen will meet with President Aquino and check on the Spanish government’s development programs in the country during her visit.

Queen Sofia first visited the country with her husband King Juan Carlos I in 1995. She returned in February 1998 to participate in celebrations marking a century of independence from Spanish colonial rule.

Last December, Spain granted 900,000 euros in humanitarian assistance for the victims of tropical storm “Sendong.”

The Spanish Cooperation Agency for International Development (AECID) in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development allocated 400,000 euros for relief goods such as food, water, clothing, emergency kits, shelter materials, blankets and tents, among other non-food items.

A total of 500,000 euros that had been released through the Save the Children, Action against Hunger and the Spanish Red Cross addressed emergency, early recovery and rehabilitation needs of Sendong victims.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain monitored the situation through its embassy and technical cooperation office in Manila, which in turn coordinated with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations.