THE nation’s growing defense ties with Trkiye was highlighted as its top diplomat in the country paid a courtesy call to the Army (PA) commander, Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete at Fort Andres Bonifacio, Taguig City on Tuesday.
In a statement, Col. Louie Dema-ala, Army spokesman, said Turkish Ambassador to the Philippines, Niyazi Akyol, and Nafarette discussed the existing Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Industry Cooperation and opportunities for joint training, exchanges, and defense industry collaboration.
‘Capt. Gökhan Glbiten, the defense attaché of the Republic of Trkiye to the Philippines, also participated in the meeting of the CGPA [Commanding General Philippine Army] and Ambassador Akyol,’ Dema-ala said.
Apart from national defense relations, Akyol earlier expressed Trkiye’s intent to extend support that may be required by all parties in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao following the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s suspension of the decommissioning process.
‘Ambassador Aykol’s visit provided an opportunity to discuss aspects of bilateral cooperation and mutual trust between the two armies with Lt. Gen. Nafarette emphasizing the Philippine Army’s commitment to strengthening ties with the Turkish Land Forces,’ Dema-ala said.
Food truck
THE Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) on Tuesday donated a fully equipped mobile food truck to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to augment the organization’s rapid disaster response in Metro Manila and surrounding areas.
‘Through this project, as TIKA, we hope to meet urgent needs by supporting dignity, reducing negative consequences of any disasters, and strengthening equality during times of calamity,’ visiting TIKA Vice President Ümit Naci Yorulmaz said during the turnover ceremony at PRC Headquarters in Mandaluyong City.
‘We believe that food is a basic right and that providing hot meals in moments of disaster is not only about survival but also about restoring comfort and human dignity,’ he added.
The mobile food truck-capable of preparing and serving up to 1,000 hot meals per day-is complete with industrial stoves, a chiller, a freezer, rice cookers, and an efficient ventilation system, allowing operations even in remote or disaster-affected areas.
The donation was received by PRC Chairman Richard Gordon and Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang in the presence of Turkish Ambassador Niyazi Evren Akyol.
In addition to relief operations, Gordon said the PRC intends to bring the truck to schools and even farms for community feeding programs.
‘[T]his truck should be seen not just a disaster truck but as a symbol of hope-a symbol of nutrition mode in terms of food and also the mind,’ Gordon said.
With this donation, Gordon said the PRC now operates with 39 deployable mobile food trucks, enough to dispatch at least three units in each region.
Akyol, for his part, emphasized Trkiye’s strong commitment to continue facilitating high-impact development projects that would bring lasting benefits to communities in the country.
‘Turkey and Philippines might be far away in geography, but we share many things in common, and one unfortunate thing is that we also have a lot of natural disasters,’ he said.
‘Over the years, this nurtured a sense of brotherhood between our countries and empathy that can only form if you know what it is like to suffer under dire circumstances,’ he added.
The food truck unit is among the various projects TIKA is handing over to beneficiaries within the week.
On the same day, Yorulmaz’s delegation led the turnover of a modern speech therapy room at the Philippine School for the Deaf in Pasay City.