The Government Of The Macao Special Administrative Region Donates Five Million Patacas (Usd 630,000) For Philippine Disaster Relief Operations .
The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China contributed the amount of five million Macau patacas (MOP 5,000,000), approximately 630,000 in US Dollars, for Philippine disaster relief operations following the devastation in the Central Philippines caused by super typhoon Yolanda. The amount will be remitted directly by the Macau Government to the DSWD Foreign Donation Account of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The Macau donation was personally conveyed by the Chief Executive of Macau SAR, H.E. Chui Sai On (Fernando Chui) to Philippine Consul General to Macau Danilo T. Ibayan at the Office of the Chief Executive today, 28 November 2013, together with a message of sympathy which reads as follows:
“The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region is truly overwhelmed by the devastation caused by typhoon Haiyan that swept through the Philippines early this month, which unfortunately led to so much suffering.
On behalf of the Government and the people of the Macao SAR, we would like to contribute five million patacas towards disaster relief operations.
The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region will continue to follow the situation in the affected regions and extend, once again, our sympathy and solidarity to the local Filipino community.”
The Philippines and the Macau SAR have excellent bilateral relations. The Macau Government permits Filipinos to travel to Macau without visa and stay for 30 days. There are at present about 18,000 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) working in Macau. Macau is the gaming center of the world with casino revenues in 2012 amounting to USD 38 billion, followed by Las Vegas, U.S.A. and Singapore. Macau has a very successful economy and its people enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Cebu Pacific flies daily from Clark and Manila while Philippine Airlines has four flights per week. Zest Airways has expressed its interest to also serve Macau from Manila.
The Macau SAR is less than two hours traveling time from Manila by air and serves as a gateway to the booming Mainland China.
Macau SAR, 28 November 2013
