Jan 28, Colombo: As a gesture of goodwill Sri Lanka has donated US$ 50,000 to the Philippine Government to assist that country's disaster relief operations following the disastrous flooding caused by the Typhoon Washi last month.

Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the Philippines Nawalage Bennet Cooray handed over the donation of US$ 50,000 to the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Albert F. Del Rosario at a simple ceremony held at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila January 25, 2012.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed the government officials to urgently transfer the funds for the recovery effort, Sri Lanka Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

"Having witnessed the vast destruction caused to human lives and properties by the recent floods in the Cagayan de Oro and Iligan Cities in Mindanao Province of the Philippines, President Mahinda Rajapaksa immediately conveyed his condolences to his counterpart, President Benigno S. Aqunio III and the government and people of that county on 21st December, 2011," the statement said.

According to the Philippine government, the death toll from the disaster stands at 1,080 and some 338,000 people have been affected and more than 10,000 homes damaged.