RP donates to Mongolian relief efforts

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has donated $20,000 to Mongolia for rehabilitation efforts in the wake of the zud disaster that struck Mongolia recently, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The Philippine embassy in Beijing reported to the DFA that Philippine Ambassador to China Francisco Benedicto handed over the check to Mongolian Ambassador to China Tsedenjav Sukhbaatar on March 16 at the Mongolian embassy in Beijing.

The zud is a weather occurrence characterized by extremely snowy winters where livestock are unable to find fodder through the snow cover, resulting in the death of large numbers of animals due to starvation and the cold.

During his call on the Mongolian Ambassador, Benedicto conveyed the sympathy of the Philippines on this disaster.

This year’s zud has affected 198 counties in 19 provinces, causing the loss of thousands of livestock, the main source of livelihood of Mongolian herders.

Earlier this year, the Mongolian government requested international assistance for its rehabilitation efforts through their Foreign Affairs Minister Gombojav Zandanshatar. — Pia Lee-Brago