?T&T will be contributing an additional US$5 million to Haiti to assist that country in recovery efforts from the earthquake that hit it last month, according to Prime Minister Patrick Manning.
"President Rene Preval made it clear they have urgent requirements in Haiti and there are 1.2 million people on the streets of Port-au-Prince," Manning said. "The rains have started to fall and they run risks of health and other social diseases and social issues arising out of that. "The immediate requirements for Haiti is that they need 200,000 tents at the cost of $20 million. This was first raised at the Caricom/Mexico Summit and T&T pledged another US$5 million to that offer." Manning disclosed this to the media at a joint news conference with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday night at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's. On Tuesday night, President Bachelet made a State visit to T&T. She held bi-lateral talks with Manning and signed a Memorandum of Agreement on energy matters.
Manning also indicated that other countries would send money to T&T's Central Bank from where the funds would be sent to Haiti. "It's not only that, but when we met in the wider Latin American Grouping and Caribbean countries, countries pledged a number of contributions in excess of $20 million for Haiti and they mandated T&T to open an account in our Central Bank and those monies would be wired into the account and the Central Bank of T&T would send that money to an account in Haiti," he said. He added that T&T's financial assistance to Haiti should reach there within days.
"I saw President Preval talk and I was touched and that is the understatement of the year," Manning said. "Haiti is a Caricom country, Haiti is eligible for assistance under our Petroleum Fund and as a consequence we have been viewing the Haiti situation in that context.
"We have committed an additional US$5 million...it has already been communicated to the Ministry of Finance and we hope that in a day or two that money should be safely in a bank in Haiti." Responding to a question from the media about sending one of the fast ferries to Haiti, Manning said that was just one option available to this country, but whatever is sent should be based on what the Haitian government needs. "We also said whatever happens to Haiti should be on the basis of priorities established by the Haiti authorities," he said. "As the Government of Haiti identifies the priorities, the Government of T&T will respond," he said.