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Private sector shames Hong Kong government with Philippine aid

HSBC Philippines is donating more than US$1 million as it activates a bank-wide relief and donation drive to provide aid to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan and their families. In addition, HSBC Philippines is giving US$23,000 from its local funds, while donations are also being raised by HSBC employees globally. Already, other parts of the HSBC Group have collected more than US$60,000 over the past two days.

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Howard Winn is a former columnist of the South China Morning Post

Published: 2:15am, 13 Nov 2013Updated: 3:26pm, 13 Nov 2013

HSBC Philippines is donating more than US$1 million as it activates a bank-wide relief and donation drive to provide aid to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan and their families. In addition, HSBC Philippines is giving US$23,000 from its local funds, while donations are also being raised by HSBC employees globally. Already, other parts of the HSBC Group have collected more than US$60,000 over the past two days.

Hong Kong-based charity International Care Ministries, one of the largest charities operating in the Philippines, has created a disaster fund to offer aid to affected areas. This can be accessed at www.caremin.com/our-work/disaster-fund The charity operates in eight regions of the Philippines, three of which have been affected by Haiyan.

In addition, private equity firm KGLI Asia, which invests in the Philippines, has pledged US$1 million for disaster relief and rebuilding efforts in those communities affected by Haiyan. The firm's Philippine ventures include Sabah Al-Ahmad Global Gateway Logistics City and an investment in the 2GO Group, the Philippines' largest supply chain management and logistics services provider. The firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of KGL Investment, which is based in Kuwait, where about 140,000 Filipinos work.

There are about 160,000 Filipino workers in Hong Kong but despite this, the government is still preoccupied with the hostage shooting incident of three years ago. Our chief executive yesterday said Manila had not asked for an extension to the one-month deadline it had given the Philippines to settle the claims of the hostage victims and their families. It has said it intends to introduce sanctions if this deadline is not met.

As we said yesterday, this is petty stuff compared with the problems the Philippines now has to deal with. The Philippines should just ignore this deadline and wait for the international opprobrium that will be dumped on Hong Kong should it go ahead with sanctions. It is shameful and deeply embarrassing.

We see that the mainland has likewise covered itself in glory with its derisory donation of US$100,000, less than one tenth of the donations made by HSBC and KGL Investment. Small wonder that Beijing's soft power is so much weaker than the US when it behaves like this.