Aquino thanks Aussie donation for 'Sendong' victims

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino thanked Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce for her government’s Aus$6.3-million donation for victims of typhoon “Sendong” in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities last December.

“Australia’s generous donation of Aus$6.3 million has gone a long way toward rebuilding the lives and communities of our countrymen who were affected by the disaster,” he said Thursday night when he hosted a state dinner for the visiting foreign official.

“The relation between Australia and the Philippines has always been characterized by solidarity and mutual cooperation, a shared desire to work for the benefit of our people and the readiness to lend a helping hand,” he added.

Bryce’s visit to Manila, according to Aquino, added another feather in the cap of the 66-year-old relations between the Philippines and Australia. Bryce arrived in the Philippines Wednesday for a two-day state visit.

In his speech, Aquino said Australia is one of the Philippines’ long-standing partners in meeting its development challenges.

In 2010, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) was the country’s biggest development donor for grants, and has supported the Philippine government’s programs to attain the Millennium Development Goals.

Aquino also hailed the success of the 16th high-level consultation on development and cooperation held in Canberra, Australia last month, providing both countries with greater opportunity for wider cooperation so that development challenges are met.