San Francisco cops led by Fil-Am officer donate to 'Ondoy' victims
10/10/2009 | 11:20 PM
Police in San Francisco, California led by a Filipino-American have chipped in to provide relief to victims of tropical storm "Ondoy" (Ketsana) half a world away.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) donated boxes of canned goods, noodles, candies, and other food items to the victims.
SFPD Captain Eric Quema, a Filipino-American and one of the ranking police officers in the Bay Area, handed over the donations to Philippine Consul General to San Francisco Marciano Paynor Jr. at the consulate last Wednesday, the DFA said on its website (www.dfa.gov.ph) Friday.
"The donations from the SFPD included food items given by Captain Quema, Inspector Milanda Moore and other personnel of the Special Investigations Division as well as those collected from Lt. Louis Espinda, Sgt. Ray Cruz, Officers Dizon and Gummo and police personnel from the Bayview Police Station," it said.
Paynor welcomed the donations from the police force as “indicative of their concern for the situation in the Philippines."
“We have a number of Filipino-Americans in the San Francisco Police Department who still have families and relatives in the Philippines. Their and their colleagues’ immediate response to the call for humanitarian assistance for the flood victims will add to the on-going relief effort being undertaken by the Bay Area Filipino American community," he said.
Quema is one of the founding members of the SFPD Police Exchange Training Program (PET) with the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The program, conceptualized nine years ago by SFPD officers with Filipino ethnicity, has now expanded to include other police officers from San Francisco’s culturally diverse communities.
Under the exchange program, the SFPD and their PNP counterparts share best practices on key areas as counter-terrorism, defense and security, and law enforcement.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco in coordination with the Bay Area Filipino American Community continued to gather assistance for "Ondoy" victims.
Paynor committed the consulate to serve as the secretariat of the Philippine Disaster Relief Coalition, an organization of Filipino American community leaders and supporters.
“I have instructed our consulate officers and staff members to man the ground floor of the Philippine Center Building to receive the donations for flood victims. They will be rotated on a full-time basis to serve during weekends and holidays for this undertaking. We will accept donations in kind, especially food items and we will send them through forwarding companies who have offered to ship them to the Philippines at no charge," he said.
During a meeting at the consulate with community leaders on updates on the relief efforts, Paynor clarified certain issues regarding donations of used clothing.
“Used clothing as donations is prohibited under Republic Act No. 4653, and the Bureau of Customs can seize or apprehend this importation.
“However, the Consulate will still accept these donations but they will be turned over to the U.S. Salvation Army and other American relief organizations, as well as to the Consulate General of Indonesia, whose country recently suffered from a massive earthquake in the province of Sumatra," he said.
On the issue of tax-free importation of donations in kind for flood victims, Consul General Paynor Jr. clarified that, “while these donations shall be exempted from customs taxes as long as they are consigned to the DSWD, the duty and taxes accruing to the importation cleared under Presidential Memorandum Order (PMO) No. 36 are still shouldered by the Office of the President."
Paynor added an importation consigned to any private entity is considered a regular importation and shall be subject to duty and taxes.
“Both import facilities will require submission of the bill of lading, packing list or invoice, deed of donation duly authenticated by the Philippine Consulate General or Embassy from point of origin to the DSWD as the recommending Office for the availment of the duty free privilege," he said. - GMANews.TV
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) donated boxes of canned goods, noodles, candies, and other food items to the victims.
SFPD Captain Eric Quema, a Filipino-American and one of the ranking police officers in the Bay Area, handed over the donations to Philippine Consul General to San Francisco Marciano Paynor Jr. at the consulate last Wednesday, the DFA said on its website (www.dfa.gov.ph) Friday.
"The donations from the SFPD included food items given by Captain Quema, Inspector Milanda Moore and other personnel of the Special Investigations Division as well as those collected from Lt. Louis Espinda, Sgt. Ray Cruz, Officers Dizon and Gummo and police personnel from the Bayview Police Station," it said.
Paynor welcomed the donations from the police force as “indicative of their concern for the situation in the Philippines."
“We have a number of Filipino-Americans in the San Francisco Police Department who still have families and relatives in the Philippines. Their and their colleagues’ immediate response to the call for humanitarian assistance for the flood victims will add to the on-going relief effort being undertaken by the Bay Area Filipino American community," he said.
Quema is one of the founding members of the SFPD Police Exchange Training Program (PET) with the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The program, conceptualized nine years ago by SFPD officers with Filipino ethnicity, has now expanded to include other police officers from San Francisco’s culturally diverse communities.
Under the exchange program, the SFPD and their PNP counterparts share best practices on key areas as counter-terrorism, defense and security, and law enforcement.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco in coordination with the Bay Area Filipino American Community continued to gather assistance for "Ondoy" victims.
Paynor committed the consulate to serve as the secretariat of the Philippine Disaster Relief Coalition, an organization of Filipino American community leaders and supporters.
“I have instructed our consulate officers and staff members to man the ground floor of the Philippine Center Building to receive the donations for flood victims. They will be rotated on a full-time basis to serve during weekends and holidays for this undertaking. We will accept donations in kind, especially food items and we will send them through forwarding companies who have offered to ship them to the Philippines at no charge," he said.
During a meeting at the consulate with community leaders on updates on the relief efforts, Paynor clarified certain issues regarding donations of used clothing.
“Used clothing as donations is prohibited under Republic Act No. 4653, and the Bureau of Customs can seize or apprehend this importation.
“However, the Consulate will still accept these donations but they will be turned over to the U.S. Salvation Army and other American relief organizations, as well as to the Consulate General of Indonesia, whose country recently suffered from a massive earthquake in the province of Sumatra," he said.
On the issue of tax-free importation of donations in kind for flood victims, Consul General Paynor Jr. clarified that, “while these donations shall be exempted from customs taxes as long as they are consigned to the DSWD, the duty and taxes accruing to the importation cleared under Presidential Memorandum Order (PMO) No. 36 are still shouldered by the Office of the President."
Paynor added an importation consigned to any private entity is considered a regular importation and shall be subject to duty and taxes.
“Both import facilities will require submission of the bill of lading, packing list or invoice, deed of donation duly authenticated by the Philippine Consulate General or Embassy from point of origin to the DSWD as the recommending Office for the availment of the duty free privilege," he said. - GMANews.TV
