Niigata Prefecture Donates ¥300,000 for Typhoon Ondoy Disaster Relief Efforts
Ambassador Domingo L. Siazon, Jr. (right) receives the donation from the representative of Niigata Governor Hirohiko Izumida, official from the Niigata Prefecture's Tokyo Office.
9 October 2009 – The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo received on 8 October 2009 a JPY 300,000 (approximately PHP 150,000) donation from the People of Japan’s Niigata Prefecture as humanitarian assistance for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy.
The donation was officially handed over to Ambassador Domingo L. Siazon, Jr. by the representatives of Niigata Governor Hirohiko Izumida – Mr. Jungi Sugiyama and Mr. Masaru Abe, the Chief and Deputy Chief, respectively, of the Niigata Prefecture’s Tokyo Office.
In his letter to Ambassador Siazon, Governor Izumida conveyed his deepest sympathies for those who suffered due to the typhoon. He said that it is not difficult for the people of Niigata to imagine how difficult the situation in the Philippines is as Niigata itself experienced two big earthquakes on 23 October 2004 and 16 July 2007.
Ambassador Siazon expressed appreciation for the generosity of the people of Niigata and noted that around 800,000 families were affected by Typhoon Ondoy. The Ambassador recalled that after the July 2007 earthquake, a team from the Philippine Embassy visited Kashiwazaki City in Niigata to provide a token donation and coordinate with local authorities in assisting Filipinos in distress.
Niigata Prefecture is located in the western coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island. Around 2,200 Filipino nationals reside in the prefecture.
