By BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
KALIBO, Aklan — About 2,000 families in this town were set to receive this week rice donated by the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry.
The family beneficiaries were victims of super typhoon “Yolanda” from 16 barangays here.
“Yolanda” hit Kalibo on November 8 last year, damaging agricultural crops and infrastructures.
Representatives from the Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (Apterr) Tier 3 Program in the Philippines will turn over the donation for storm victims to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The turnover will be held tomorrow, July 31, at the Kalibo Magsaysay Park here.
Apterr stocks under Tier 3 is a mechanism for the release of stockpiled emergency rice reserves collectively owned by Apterr member-countries in response to an acute and urgent emergency demand in a recipient country.
Composing the 13-member Apterr Council were Thailand, Laos, Brunei, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines, plus Korea, China, and Japan.
Apterr aims to address food shortage caused by natural disasters or man-made calamities by providing food assistance and nutrition improvement programs.
In 1979, the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Emergency Rice Reserve, or AERR, was established as part of the implementation of the Asean Food Security Reserve Agreement signed by Asean Ministers of Foreign Affairs. It was renamed Apterr in 2009.
Municipal government officials, led by Mayor William Lachica, and National Food Authority regional officers will witness tomorrow’s aid turnover. (Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
