The Philippines is thanking the New Zealand Government and public for their help during and after Typhoon Haiyan.
Typhoon Haiyan survivors evacuated by the RNZAF disembark in Cebu. Photo: NZ Defence
The RNZAF has delivered 170 tonnes of aid supplies and evacuated 800 people in the past week.
Lieutenant-General Roy Deveraturda, the armed forces commander in the Visayas region, personally thanked the New Zealand personnel.
He said the people of the Philippines will always remember the help they got from New Zealand in their time of need.
Brigadier General Roy Santiago described the RNZAF's C-130 as "a workhorse" for doing as many as three trips a day to different areas in the eastern Philippines.
"The Kiwis, in their understated way, have done a great deal in helping us reach hard-hit areas,'' he said. ''I've enjoyed dealing with them - no fuss, no complaints, just work."
Squadron Leader Steve Thornley said conditions are still devastating in outlying areas, but some infrastructure such as roads, is being reopened.
Typhoon Haiyan made landfall on 8 November. An estimated 5000 people were killed and around 4 million others left homeless.
