The donation, intended to assist the country’s efforts against coronavirus disease 2019 , was received by Secretary of National Defense Delfin N. Lorenzana from Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Rafael Harpaz.
“This donation signifies Israel-PH strong and friendly relations,” Israeli Ambassador to Manila Rafael Harpaz said in his remarks during the turnover rites last week. In his remarks, Harpaz recalled the bilateral relations between the two countries dating back when President Manuel Quezon opened the doors of the Philippines to Jews fleeing the Nazi regime in the late 1930s.
In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda devastation in 2013, Israel conducted one of the biggest relief operations in the Philippines by sending over hundreds of Israeli soldiers, nurses, and other volunteers who helped the Filipinos affected by the typhoon.