Japan Donates 300 Metric Tons of Rice to Support Calamity-Affected Communities in Leyte

On 27 November 2024, Japan turned over 300 metric tons of rice to support families affected by calamities, including the El Niño phenomenon and severe tropical storms. Typhoon Kristine, one of the strongest of these storms, significantly affected the Eastern Visayas region. The donation was made under the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) framework.

The turnover ceremony was held at Palo City in Leyte province. Embassy of Japan First Secretary AKASAKA Hidenori attended and delivered a speech. Also in attendance were National Food Authority (NFA) Deputy Administrator Mario Andrada, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary for Disaster Management Diana Rose Cajipe, and APTERR General Manager Choomjet Karnjanakesorn. The donated rice will be distributed to the disaster-affected areas in the Province of Leyte. 

As of October 2024, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that Typhoon Kristine affected around 178,685 families or 685,049 people in the region, including Leyte Province. In addition, the Office of Civil Defense also reported 4,299 families, consisting of 14,528 individuals stayed in evacuation centers. 
 
APTERR is a regional cooperation, which aims to strengthen food security, poverty alleviation and malnourishment eradication among its member countries. The member countries distribute stockpiled rice to affected nations when severe calamities occur.

Japan, as an important contributor to APTERR rice in the Philippines, has consistently shown compassion and solidarity with the Filipino people during challenging times. Over the years, hundreds of tons of stockpiled rice from Japan were distributed to thousands of families through APTERR. These families were victims of devastating typhoons such as Odette in 2022 among others. The affected communities of Mayon eruption in 2023 were also recipients of rice from Japan. In 2023, Japan also donated 20 metric tons of rice to an elementary school in Pateros City, aiming to contribute to the nutritional well-being of the students and empower them to pursue their education with improved health.

In his speech, First Secretary Akasaka expressed his hopes that the donated rice would soon reach the affected families and would serve as their source of nourishment and revitalization.