SALT LAKE CITY — Elder Quentin L. Cook met Wednesday in Manila with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and delivered a donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help victims of the erupting Taal Volcano.
Elder Cook, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, met with Duterte for 35 minutes at Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the president of the Philippines, in the San Miguel District of Manila. He called the meeting “exceptional” in a video released Wednesday by the church.
“We did stress that we’ve got five of our chapels that are being used for those who are evacuated who are fleeing from the effects of the volcano,” Elder Cook said.
Before meeting with Duterte, he presented a donation of 1 million pesos, or $20,000, to the secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. He also said the church would fund a humanitarian project of 5 million pesos, or $100,000.
The money will pay for 5,200 food kits, 3,000 hygiene kits, 1,000 sleeping kits and face masks used to avoid breathing in volcanic ash. The Taal Volcano is located south of Manila. It has spewed ash nine miles into the sky with additional lava flows. Experts have warned of the possibility of a far more massive eruption. They also have said the volcano could trigger a tsunami.
Duterte and Elder Cook discussed the typhoon that struck Tacloban in 2013, killing thousands when Duterte was the mayor of Davao. They talked about the church’s relief efforts.
“He expressed gratitude for the history that he’s had in observing members of our church step up in times of calamity or natural disaster,” Elder Cook said. “He had a pre-existing familiarity with the church, and it was very positive.”
The leaders’ discussion also included the church’s Self-Reliance Services and Family Services’ Addiction Recovery programs, as well as the upcoming 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s First Vision and the 500th anniversary next year of Catholics bringing Christianity to the Philippines.
More than 800,000 Latter-day Saints live in the Philippines, where the church has 23 missions and more than 1,200 congregations.
Elder Cook presented President Duterte with a leather-bound, personalized copy of the Book of Mormon.
“He really liked it,” Elder Cook said. “He liked the fact that his name was embossed on it. He said, ‘I won’t read it right now, but I’ll promise you that I’ll read it before I finish (my term in office).’”
The leaders were joined in the meeting by Edwin B. Bellen, deputy secretary for legislation of the Philippine Senate and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, as well as Elder Evan A. Schmutz, the church’s Philippines Area president, and Elder Aretemio C. Maligon, an Area Seventy from San Pablo City.
Elder Cook is traveling with his wife, Mary. On Sunday he spoke at a church devotional. On Monday, he spoke at an interfaith luncheon.
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January 16, 2020 at 11:10AM
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Elder Cook meets Philippine President Duterte, gives donation to help volcano victims - Deseret News
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