South Korea donates 4,000 metric tons of rice to ‘Kristine’ victims
South Korea has donated 4,000 metric tons (MT) of rice to families in regions affected by Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” (international name: Trami) last year.
The donation, totaling 100,000 sacks weighing 40 kilograms each, was shipped in two batches from South Korea to the Philippines in December and last month, the Korean embassy in Manila said in a statement.
Seoul’s donation is part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve Tier 3 program (Apterr), with the Philippines represented by the National Food Authority.
Monday’s donation ceremony in Laurel, Batangas, was a follow-up initiative from the Korea-Philippines summit held during Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit to Manila in October last year.
The event was attended by key officials, including Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Social Welfare Undersecretary for Disaster Response Management Group Diana Rose Cajipe, Laurel town Mayor Lyndon Bruce, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-hwa, and Apterr secretary general Choomjet Karnjanakesorn.
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), Laurel town was one of the hardest-hit areas by Kristine, with families needing relocation and others still displaced, requiring permanent shelter.
“This donation is more than just a gift of rice; it is a symbolic example of the readiness of both nations to cooperate on food security and disaster resilience,” Lee said in his speech.
In a statement, Tiu Laurel said the rice donation would cover the needs of affected residents across the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol regions.
“Given the high food prices, this gift of rice from the government of Korea is most certainly welcome and provides timely assistance to the Philippine government in its efforts to aid calamity-affected provinces,” he added.
The Korean Embassy described the donation as a “significant milestone in strengthening the Philippines’ food security and further advancing bilateral cooperation.”
In 2024, the country incurred almost one million MT in losses in palay production due to the combined effects of the El Niño phenomenon, successive weather disturbances, pests, volcanic eruption and La Niña.
The local palay output declined to 19.08 million MT in 2024 from 20.06 million MT in 2023. The DA, however, expressed optimism that local production would recover this year with more support given to farmers. —WITH A PNA REPORT
