Brunei sends first relief team to Tacloban

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Xinhua) - Brunei has rendered further aid to the Philippines by sending its first relief team of personnel to typhoon-ravaged Tacloban to provide assistance at the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA) in distributing food and water to disaster victims, government sources said today.   The relief team left the country Wednesday onboard Royal Brunei Armed Forces' aircraft, CN235 and will remain in the affected area for a week.

Shabandi Hj Abdul Halim, head of the relief team, in an interview said "We will be staying in a makeshift camp for at least a week to provide assistance to the AHA Centre. If required, we may stay longer."

Brunei has also airlifted humanitarian aid weighing 1,375 kilograms including water and food on the flight.

A communications officer at the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance ( AHA) Centre lauded Brunei's swift response in sending relief goods and supporting ASEAN operations. In fact, among the very first ASEAN responders to the affected area were two members from the ASEAN Emergency Rapid Assessment Team in Brunei.

The relief team will assist in facilitating the distribution of aid from Brunei to the Philippines. Further updates will be monitored from time to time through the AHA Centre and the Brunei Embassy in Manila.

Local media reports said the military is scheduled to continue sending relief aid from Brunei to affected areas in the Philippines by air and sea cargo on Friday. The first two batches of relief was delivered by the Royal Brunei Armed Forces' military transport aircraft and the royal Brunei Navy ship, respectively on Nov. 15. The third batch of relief supplies was transported by another military aircraft on Nov. 17. Brunei will be sending another batch of humanitarian aids on Nov. 22.