JEDDAH – Filipino expats here have expressed their gratitude after the Kingdom’s announcement that it will donate $10 million in aid to victims of typhoon Haiyan which rocked the country last week.



The Saudi pledge was well-received by the Philippines, according to a statement by Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom Ezzedin Tago posted on the embassy’s website.



“I received a call [on Friday] from the Minister of Finance informing me about the donation, and seeking advice on the mode of transmittal of the amount so that it could reach those who need the humanitarian relief,” the statement read.



“On behalf of the president, the Filipino people, especially those in the Kingdom, and those in the affected areas, we thank Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud for his generous contribution to the relief efforts for the Yolanda victims,” it added.



“As always, Saudi Arabia stands in solidarity with the Philippines, especially in times of great calamities like what has hit our country right now,” Arthur Ocampo, a Filipino expat based in Dammam told Al Arabiya News.



“As we know, the Overseas Filipino Workers here in the Kingdom contribute immensely to the economy of Saudi Arabia. (Such a donation) strengthens the common bond we both cultivated over the past four decades or more,” he added.



Ocampo, who has been working in Saudi Arabia for 23 years now, has also pledged his assistance, along with other Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, to relief efforts organized by the Philippine embassy and consulates in the Kingdom.



Many Saudis have been expressing their solidarity with the Philippines by posting support messages on social media and encouraging each other to donate more money in aid.



Aside from Saudi Arabia, the UAE on Sunday announced that it will donate $10 million towards recovery programs in the Philippines.



Long-delayed emergency supplies flowed into the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines on Saturday, reaching desperate families who had to fend for themselves for days, as the United Nations more than doubled its estimate of homeless to nearly two million.



More than a week after Typhoon Haiyan killed at least 3,633 with tree-snapping winds and tsunami-like waves, hundreds of international aid workers set up makeshift hospitals and trucked in supplies.



Helicopters from a US aircraft carrier ferried medicine and water to remote, battered areas.



Residents of Tanauan, a fishing town about 15 km (9 miles) southeast of Tacloban, said they only started receiving substantial aid on Friday after being forced to survive on biscuits and dispose of dead bodies on their own for days. More than 60 people were buried behind the municipal office in the district of 50,000 people. — Agencies