PALO: US Ambassador Philip Goldberg and eight American lawmakers visited the village of San Jose here yesterday to see for themselves how the World Food Program (WFP) and its partners were distributing US aid and how this was impacting on the lives of survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan.
The US lawmakers were Ed Royce of California, Steve Chabot of Oklahoma, Brad Sherman of California, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Madeleine Bordallo of Guam, Randy Weber of Texas, Joseph Kennedy of Minnesota, and Luke Messer of Indiana.
Royce said he was particularly interested in how the amendment he recently introduced to the US law governing foreign relief aid was helping the Haiyan victims.
Dan Suther of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) said the amendment helped a lot, as it allowed them to locally purchase food like biscuits and rice for immediate distribution.
Royce told The STAR that the amendment now allows the USAID and its partner NGOs to buy supplies locally or from neighbouring countries. Before, he said, all goods had to come from the US, thus delaying emergency relief efforts.
Sherman said the US courses its relief assistance through the USAID, which, in turn, funds humanitarian NGOs like WFP to deliver relief aid to the affected families. For the Haiyan relief effort, the US Congress allotted $83m, he said.
The Philippine star
