Memorial plaque for 956 Ondoy-Pepeng dead unveiled in Australia

Some 956 Filipinos who died during the destructive cyclones Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma) will be forever remembered in Australia after a memorial plaque for them was unveiled in New South Wales. The plaque was unveiled at the Pinegrove Memorial Park in Minchinbury, New South Wales, according to a report from the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney. According to the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs, the plaque is now a permanent marker in a section of the cemetery called the “Filipino Memorial of Christ the Risen Lord." Philippine Consul General Eva Betita and Invocare General Manager Arman Mikaelian were present at the unveiling held during the solemn rituals concelebrated by the priests of the Filipino Chaplaincy of the Sydney Diocese and the Filipino Chaplaincy of the Parramatta Diocese. Figures from the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) show at least 956 deaths in the wake of the two cyclones, including 492 from Pepeng and 464 from Ondoy. As of November 15, the Filipino community in New South Wales had donated at least A$470,000 (P20.031 million) in assistance funds, as well as over 1,400 boxes of relief goods and 21 pallets of canned food products totaling over 26 metric tons, to the victims of the recent floods. The Australian government gave A$3 million (P127.859 million) in relief assistance to the calamity victims. - JV/GMANews.TV