Manila Bulletin
Philippines
Some 300 Filipinos affected by Australia bushfires; Malacañang assures assistance
Philippines
Some 300 Filipinos affected by Australia bushfires; Malacañang assures assistance
Some 300 Filipinos affected by Australia bushfires; Malacañang assures assistance
Published Jan 6, 2020 12:00 am
By Argyll Cyrus Geducos
Malacañang assured that the government was undertaking measures to help some 300 Filipinos affected by the devastating bushfires in Australia.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo gave this assurance as Australia continues to battle wildfires on its east coast. In his Monday press briefing, Panelo noted that the government has already evacuated about 300 Filipinos affected by the blazes which have razed more than 5.25 million hectares of land and destroyed almost 1,500 houses in one state alone. Five other lost their homes. “We understand that about 300 Filipinos have been evacuated from that area,” he said, noting the report of the Philippine embassy in Canberra. “Ginagawa ng ating pamahalaan ang mga hakbangin upang mapanatiling ligtas ang ating mga kababayan sa nagaganap na conflagration (The government is doing everything to keep Filipinos safe from the conflagration),” he added. In an interview over DZMM, Aian Caringal, consul general of the Philippine embassy in Canberra, advised Filipino migrants to monitor their surroundings and protect themselves from heat and smoke. The Land Down Under is home to 300,000 Filipinos, 75,000 of which are workers and students, while the rest are permanent migrants. Bushfires are common in Australia during the hot summer which starts in December but the three-year drought the country experienced left its bushland tinder-dry and vulnerable to fires. The fires were reported to have killed 24 people and almost half-a-billion animals. Thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal towns during the holidays. Some people living in high-risk fire areas have also been in and out of evacuation centers as the fires changed direction and intensity. Australia gets recovery fund Meanwhile, reserve troops fanned out across fire-ravaged regions in three Australian states on Monday after a horror weekend, as the government pledged $1.4 billion over two years to help recover from the devastating months-long crisis. Catastrophic bushfires have turned swathes of land into smoldering, blackened hellscapes and destroyed an area about the size of the island of Ireland, according to official figures, with authorities warning the disaster still has weeks or months to run. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose government has been criticized for its slow response to the emergency, pledged Aus$2 billion ($1.4 billion) of taxpayer money for a national recovery fund. (With a report from AFP)
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo gave this assurance as Australia continues to battle wildfires on its east coast. In his Monday press briefing, Panelo noted that the government has already evacuated about 300 Filipinos affected by the blazes which have razed more than 5.25 million hectares of land and destroyed almost 1,500 houses in one state alone. Five other lost their homes. “We understand that about 300 Filipinos have been evacuated from that area,” he said, noting the report of the Philippine embassy in Canberra. “Ginagawa ng ating pamahalaan ang mga hakbangin upang mapanatiling ligtas ang ating mga kababayan sa nagaganap na conflagration (The government is doing everything to keep Filipinos safe from the conflagration),” he added. In an interview over DZMM, Aian Caringal, consul general of the Philippine embassy in Canberra, advised Filipino migrants to monitor their surroundings and protect themselves from heat and smoke. The Land Down Under is home to 300,000 Filipinos, 75,000 of which are workers and students, while the rest are permanent migrants. Bushfires are common in Australia during the hot summer which starts in December but the three-year drought the country experienced left its bushland tinder-dry and vulnerable to fires. The fires were reported to have killed 24 people and almost half-a-billion animals. Thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal towns during the holidays. Some people living in high-risk fire areas have also been in and out of evacuation centers as the fires changed direction and intensity. Australia gets recovery fund Meanwhile, reserve troops fanned out across fire-ravaged regions in three Australian states on Monday after a horror weekend, as the government pledged $1.4 billion over two years to help recover from the devastating months-long crisis. Catastrophic bushfires have turned swathes of land into smoldering, blackened hellscapes and destroyed an area about the size of the island of Ireland, according to official figures, with authorities warning the disaster still has weeks or months to run. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose government has been criticized for its slow response to the emergency, pledged Aus$2 billion ($1.4 billion) of taxpayer money for a national recovery fund. (With a report from AFP)