Club to provide emergency relief to victims of Manila hostage tragedy

25 August 2010

The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced today (25 August) that it would offer immediate relief through its Jockey Club Emergency Relief Fund to the families of the victims of Monday's hostage tragedy in Manila.  Donations of HK$80,000 will be provided to the family of each of the deceased and $50,000 to each injured victim.  Additional assistance will be provided where appropriate to those who have suffered the tragic loss of parents or children.

The Club's Chief Executive Officer, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, expressed the deepest condolences to the victims and their families on behalf of the Club's Board and Staff. "In view of the seriousness of this tragedy, the Club's Charities Trust has promptly taken the initiative to contact the Social Welfare Department (SWD), and learned that there is a need to provide immediate relief to the victims and their families, especially those who have lost their breadwinners, before they are able to receive damages or insurance."  Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges added that the distribution would be co-ordinated by the SWD, and the Club would continue to work closely with the Government and monitor the situation to see if further assistance is required.

The Jockey Club Emergency Relief Fund has been specifically established for the purpose of providing rapid relief to victims of natural disasters, accidents, epidemics and the like.  It is aimed at enhancing the efficiency and flexibility of processing urgent donation requests, enabling the Club to quickly respond to those urgently in need. Relief payments from the Fund were previously provided to victims of this year's building collapse in To Kwa Wan and the flooding in Tai Po.