The Washington-based World Bank Group (WBG) said Friday that it will increase its financial aid to the Philippines for its reconstruction efforts.

In a telephone call with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, WBG President Jim Yong Kim expressed sympathy to the government and people of the Philippines for the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), and offered 480 million dollars in additional financial assistance to help communities lead the reconstruction effort.

This followed the 500 million dollars emergency loan announced earlier this week, bringing the total package close to 1 billion dollars, the WBG said in a statement.

"We have been encouraged by the resilience of the Filipino people and the determination shown by President Aquino and his team as they work to recover from a disaster of unprecedented scale," said Kim.

"With overwhelming demands, the relief, recovery, and reconstruction effort will take time. The World Bank Group is committed to supporting the government's efforts to rebuild people's lives no matter how long it takes," he added.

During the phone call, Kim updated President Aquino on a package of assistance amounting to almost 1 billion dollars, which can be delivered in a few weeks.

Kim also informed President Aquino of the quick deployment of the WBG's disaster specialists who are now helping the government in Manila assess damages and identify priority areas for immediate recovery and reconstruction support. Endi

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