By Gabriela Baron
The House of Representatives donated on Tuesday, Feb. 14, an additional P10 million in humanitarian aid to thousands of earthquake victims in Turkey.
The amount was in addition to the $100,000 (about P5.5 million) the House turned over to Turkey’s Ambassador to the Philippines Niyazi Evren Aykol on Monday.
The donation was made through the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and was received by former Senator and PRC Chairperson Richard Gordon.
“On this day of love and compassion, we show our love and appreciation to the people of Turkey who helped us, together with friends and other allies, when we needed it most,” House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez said.
“We understand and feel what they are going through, and we are praying for them,” he added.
Ambassador Aykol extended his gratitude for the humanitarian aid given by the House for his quake-stricken compatriots.
“You know, in an event like this, it’s very good to know you have your friends on your side,” Aykol said.
Two Filipinos in Turkey died following the magnitude 7.8 quake that struck the country and Syria, according to the Philippine Embassy.
The two Filipinos were among the over 36,000 people who died in the strong tremor. -ag
