Media roundtable with Harper

Media roundtable with Harper

From left: Bin Kon Loo of Filipiniana, Veronica Silva of ABS-CBN Balitang Canada, Sen. Tobias Enverga Jr., Prime Minister Harper, Gie Alvarez of Front Page Philippines, Mila Astorga-Garcia of The Philippine Reporter and Mon Datol of Philippine Courier.

TORONTO–Prime Minister Stephen Harper, accompanied by Senator Tobias Enverga, Jr.,  met with five members of the Filipino community media in a brief roundtable discussion about Canada’s relief efforts to the Philippines. Present were representatives from Manila Media Monitor and Front Page Philippines,  Philippine Courier,  ABS-CBN Balitang Canada, Filipiniana, and The Philippine Reporter.

A press release with a brief background of Canada’s response to typhoon Haiyan was provided to each media organization, which included details on the direct monetary assistance  and the deployment of elements of the Canadian Armed Forces’ Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to support in the relief effort; as well as the indirect assistance provided to relief organizations like the  UN agencies, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement “who have the experience and capacity to provide assistance on the ground”; and of creating a matching fund by which government will contribute a dollar for each eligible dollar donated by individual Canadians to registered Canadian charities until Dec. 9, 2013.

Each media representative was allowed to ask one question pre-submitted to the roundtable organizers, and Harper responded to each one of them.
Veronica Silva of Balitang Canada asked about Canada’s long term plan to aid the Philippines.  PM Harper responded that Canada is helping in three ways: (1) through  direct financial contributions on top of ordinary developmental assistance;(2) through immigration measures to families who have been affected; and (3) through “direct government of Canada assistance on the ground, principally through the DART team, disaster assistance response team, but through other government agencies and services as well.” He added that focus today was emergency and humanitarian relief.

Gie Alvarez of Manila Media Monitor and Front Page Philippines asked if the immigration assistance to those directly affected by Yolanda could also apply to those in other regions of the Philippine not as badly hit.  Harper responded that while those directly affected were a priority, those whose  applications are already in the queue will be accelerated. “And for people who are already here and are scheduled to go back, we’re obviously extending visas and those sorts of things to allow people to stay longer,” he said, adding that Canada will be flexible in its implementation of this policy.

Mon Datol from the Philippine Courier asked if Canada was planning to send a battalion of personnel and engineers to help build even bunk houses for the affected people.  Harper responded that there are about 300 personnel, military and otherwise, that they are getting to the affected areas to provide some engineering and logistical support in the areas.  He said immediate assistance was the immediate focus and implied that long-term reconstruction will be dealt with later.

Mila Astorga-Garcia of The Philippine Reporter asked what the Government of Canada will do to ensure that relief being provided, both immediate and long-term, would go directly to the affected people, given concerns cited my media and survivors.  PM Harper responded that they provide aid in two ways.  Directly through their own personnel based on Panay island, from where they have based their operations in providing aid to the affected areas. “But when we’re in that area, we’re delivering aid ourselves, through the Government of Canada, through the… personnel and the various vehicles we’ve taken there. We deliver that aid directly.”  He added that the Government of Canada also provides aid indirectly  through international relief agencies and non-government organizations. He added:  “The government of Canada delivers very little aid directly to the government of the Philippines, okay? So we tend to go through other organizations.”

Bin Kon Loo, of Filipiniana said that his question was already covered by the others.

At this point Harper commended the relief efforts of the Filipino community in Canada.

He said: “The Filipino community here is not a wealthy community, but it is a very hard working and engaged community. And across the country they have been … organizing and driving the relief efforts.

“I think… while the government will take some credit, I think a lot of the relief effort that’s happening and a lot of the support they’re getting from Canadians more broadly is really a testament to the… you know, the responsible, hardworking, community-minded nature of Filipino Canadians and the great impression they’ve created on the wider Canadian community.” (M.A.G.)