PHL to donate P16M to Indonesia to aid victims of quake, tsunami

BALI, Indonesia - The Philippines will donate P16 million or $300,000 to Indonesia to help the country recover from the September 28 earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 2,000 lives and caused devastation.

Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Lee Hiong Tan Wee announced the donation in a press conference on Wednesday with reporters in Bali, Indonesia.

The donation will be in cash and in kind, he said.

Umaabot sa $300,000 na in cash and in kind ang ipapaabot na tulong ng Pilipinas sa mga nasalanta ng lindol at tsunami dito sa Indonesia, ayon kay Ph Amb. Leehiong Wee @gmanews pic.twitter.com/EGtO3dhVAB

— Ian Cruz (@_iancruz) October 10, 2018

The Philippines also sent a C-130 aircraft on Wednesday on a humanitarian mission to deliver aid to the victims of the calamities, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said. There will be another such trip on October 15.

Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Lee Hiong Tan Wee announces on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 the P16 million donation of the Philippines to Indonesia after an earthquake and tsunami claimed more than 2,000 lives in Sulawesi. Ian Cruz

Bilateral meeting

The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier said there will be a simple ceremony when President Rodrigo Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo have their bilateral meeting in Indonesia.

Duterte is scheduled to attend the ASEAN Leaders' Gathering in Indonesia before attending the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meeting in Bali.

The ASEAN Leaders' Gathering is expected to show that the 10 ASEAN leaders are united and the regional international group is a potent force in the world arena.

Expected to be discussed during the bilateral meeting between the two leaders are peace and order, terrorism, and trade issues.

Wee admitted there are Islamic State (ISIS) operators in Indonesia and Mindanao, and this is why military attachés of the two countries constantly cooperate with each other.

There are around 8,000 Filipinos in Indonesia, and 250 of them reside in Bali.

Most Filipinos working in Indonesia hold white-collar jobs such as resort managers and English teachers.

Mary Jane Veloso

The case of Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, who is on death row in Indonesia for drug charges, is not expected to be discussed at Duterte and Jokowi's bilateral meeting.

Wee, however, said he will visit Veloso sometime in the next few weeks.

Another Filipina is detained in Semarang, Indonesia on drug-related charges.

The Philippine Embassy is still studying her case. —KG, GMA News