Noy thanks world leaders

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has thanked world leaders for their aid and assistance to the country in the wake of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Aquino placed calls to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and World Bank (WB) president Jim Yong Kim on Friday to express gratitude for the solidarity and assistance they provided to the country.

“The President did mention that... he, as well as the Filipino people, are very thankful for all the expressions of solidarity by our neighbors,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over dzRB.

Valte said Aquino was grateful that foreign countries were quick to offer their help and even gave assurance that “if there’s anything else that we can help you with, we would be very happy to... just say the word.“

“The President was clearly very, very happy and very grateful for all the support that we’ve been receiving,” she said.

Valte said the Philippines felt “it was not alone” and that these countries gave us much hope amid the devastation and loss of lives caused by Yolanda.

The President earlier spoke to US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, also to thank them for their support.

In a press statement, the WB said they expressed sympathy to the government and the people of the Philippines and offered $480 million in additional financial assistance during the telephone call with the President.

The WB assistance is now close to $1 billion.

“We have been encouraged by the resilience of the Filipino people and the determination shown by President Aquino and his team as they work to recover from a disaster of unprecedented scale,” Kim said.