Emergency Aid for the Landslide Disaster in the Philippines

December 22, 2003

The Government of Japan decided on December 22 (Mon) to provide emergency grant assistance in kind (plastic sheets, tents, blankets, water tanks, etc.), equivalent to about 16 million yen, to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, which has sustained damage from landslides caused by torrential rain.
In the Philippines, torrential rain that continued to fall from December 15, mainly in Leyte Island in the central part of the country and Mindanao Island in the south, caused landslides and flash flooding, resulting in a great disaster in which about 100,000 people were afflicted and more than 100 died. Efforts are being made in the Philippines to determine the precise extent of the damage and conduct search operations for the missing people.
The Government of Japan has stated to the Government of the Philippines that it is ready to extend emergency assistance, from a humanitarian point of view and in light of the friendly relations between Japan and the Philippines. The decision for the assistance was made after the Philippine authority had decided on December 22 on the specific emergency materials to request.

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