Press Release
May 28, 2008

Gordon: Philippine delegation helped open Myanmar's door to aid from International Community

In a privilege speech, Senator Richard J. Gordon reported to the Philippine Senate the early accomplishments of the Philippine delegation that particpated in the ASEAN-UN International Pledging Conference on May 25, 2008. Gordon said that the delegation had contributed to a meaningful and significant step in ASEAN's efforts to bridge Myanmar with the UN and the International community.

"Myanmar authorities have now unlatched its door to the world. It will now be up to them to decide on how wide it will open its doors to let in a generous and compassionate world to help alleviate suffering among its people." Myanmar has also officially announced at the Conference that it would welcome any assistance and aid from any country or organization, provided that there would be no strings attached or politicization involved to it.

Gordon stressed that coordination and scaling up of the speedy delivery and the logical distribution of relief and rehabilitation should be the main focus. "The task may seem daunting but need not be insurmountable, for Myanmar can rely on the experience and expertise of the Philippines and Indonesia in dealing with disasters," said Gordon

Gordon credited the members of the Philippine delegation for the fruitful and productive outcome of the Conference and Task Force Meeting. The senator thanked Major General Rabonza of the NDCC, Ambassador Noel C. Cabrera of the Philippine Embassy in Yangon, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique Manalo, Assistant Secretary Romeo Manalo, and Director Zaldy Patron. He likewise thanked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Secretary Alberto Romulo "for allowing the Filipino trait of 'kapwa tao' to be felt beyond its shores."

At the first meeting of the ASEAN Task Force for the Humanitarian Coalition for the Victims of Cyclone Nargis, Senator Gordon likewise proposed that the ASEAN Task Force tap the expertise, netowrk and goodwill that the ASEAN Red Cross/Red Crescent societies have established. He further recommended that the experts from the Philippine and Indonesian Red Cross/Red Crescent societies be used to immediately train relief workers of Myanmar Red Cross so that they could be more effective in their work.

The Philippines made a humble pledge to contribute US$100,000 in cash and another US$250,000 in kind, such as medicines, relief goods and the cost of sending a 30-member medical team to Yangon via a Philippine Air Force C-130 plane for the disaster victims in Myanmar. The C-130 landed in Yangon on 26 May.

Fifty-one countries and 22 international organizations participated in the Conference, which generated about US$30 million in new pledges, according to initial estimates of the United Nations (UN). The amount is in addition to the pledges of about US$100 million in bilateral and multilateral contributions that the UN has raised before the IPC.

Gordon said, "With this recent turn of events, it is now up to the Myanmar government to open up its doors to the ASEAN, members of which have now made available various facilities and assistance, so that the same may ultimately reach the suffering."

The Conference was held to mobilize greater international assistance for Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis that devastated and flooded Southern Myanmar on 2-3 May 2008. About 130,000 died (including the 56,000 missing) and 19,000 were injured in this calamity. Total damages to agriculture, infrastructure, transportation, communication and industrial sectors have reached US$10.67 billion.

Myanmar also officially announced at the Conference that it would welcome any assistance and aid from any country or organization, provided that there would be no strings attached or politicization involved to it.

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