| Date | 6 December 2006 |
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Typhoon in the Philippines
The Acting President
I should like, on behalf of all of the members of the General Assembly, to extend our deepest sympathy to the Government and the people of the Philippines for the tragic loss of life and material damage that resulted from the recent typhoon.
May I also express the hope that the international community will show its solidarity and respond promptly and generously to any requests for help.
I call on the representative of the Philippines.
Mr. Mercado (Philippines)
The Philippines thanks you, Madam, for your message of sympathy to the families of those who perished as a result of the recent super typhoon and mudslides that struck the Philippines last week. To date, more than 500 people have been found dead and some 750 are still missing.
An initial estimate of the damage to infrastructure and agricultural crops caused by the super typhoon and mudslides is more than $750 million. More than 1.5 million people in 13 provinces and 10 cities have been affected by the disaster. While the main roads in the affected provinces have been cleared, widespread power and communications outages remain in most affected areas, and lack of a water supply is a major concern.
Owing to the magnitude of the disaster, the Philippine Government has appealed for international assistance for its relief and rehabilitation efforts. Priority needs of the Government at this stage include safe drinking water, water purifiers, emergency shelter, such as tents and tarpaulins, generator sets and medicines.
As I speak, the Philippine Government, assisted by the international community, is continuing its 24-hour recovery and relief efforts. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of national calamity on 3 December and mobilized the army to speed up recovery efforts and the delivery of relief services.
Through you, Madam, the Philippines wishes to thank the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, the United States and our neighbours Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for their speedy response in assisting the Philippine Government and its people in coping with this tragedy.
