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MANILA, Philippines—The United Nation’s Development Program (UNDP) will donate $75 million (approximately P3.5 billion) worth of food and non-food items to help victims of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana).
Earlier, the United Nations issued a flash appeal to the international community to pledge emergency assistance to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.
The UNDP’s contribution was announced Monday by Renauld Meyer, UNDP country director for the Philippines, at a hearing called by Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate climate change committee.
“The international community (will launch) in Geneva (today) a comprehensive package of assistance,” Meyer said.
“So we’re talking about food and non-food items such as home equipment, blankets and clothing, shelter, education, health and all those very urgent needs that have been assessed as being required to address the direct effect of the flooding,” he said.
Meyer also told the committee about a UN project to train local officials on how to adapt to the effects of climate change and mitigate risks associated with disasters.
He said a new publication prepared by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) with funding support from Australia deals with the important role of local government units (LGUs) in providing the assistance needed by communities.
The handbook, described as a very practical tool kit, can help strengthen the capacity of LGUs, “so that they can be held accountable by their constituents in making sure that disaster risk reduction is mainstreamed (or incorporated) in local development plans,” Meyer said.
The handbook will be given to LGUs as a sort of training module.
“If we’re able to implement this… it will have a very positive effect on trying to prevent what we’ve just seen over the last week,” Meyer said.
Good for six months
The UN emergency assistance to the Philippines is planned to last six months and was drawn up in partnership with the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).
The assistance package may be revised after one month when a more complete picture of current humanitarian needs emerges.
“To support the government, the international humanitarian community, including nongovernment organizations, the International Organization for Migration and United Nations agencies, is seeking $74,021,809 to address the immediate needs of approximately 1,000,000 of the 2,507,000 people that the government currently reports have been affected by the tropical storm and floods,” the UN appeal read.
UN Undersecretary General John Holmes, head of the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, expressed his agency’s readiness to coordinate international humanitarian assistance and stated that he was looking into the possibility of also utilizing the CERF, an emergency humanitarian fund established by the UN in 2005.
Arroyo’s appeal for aid
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at UN headquarters in New York on Sept. 28 to convey President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s appeal for international humanitarian assistance.
UNICEF has already provided about P6.9 million in supplies to address the urgent needs of children affected by Ondoy. The World Health Organization (WHO) also provided $42,000 (About P1.9 million) to support health needs.
The World Food Program has made available $500,000 for the purchase of 742 metric tons of rice.
Country pledges
Japan pledged emergency relief goods equivalent to approximately P10.478 million.
At the same time, the Philippines continues to receive relief aid from other countries, particularly in the Middle East.
A disaster relief aid package composed of food, sleeping bags, blankets, shelter boxes, medicines and other medical supplies was sent by Jordan to the Philippine National Red Cross.
The DFA said Jordan’s King Abdullah II had ordered the Hashemite Charity Organization to dispatch disaster relief for Ondoy’s victims on Oct. 1.
The United Arab Emirates Embassy sent a statement saying that their president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had ordered the Khalifa bin Zayed Charitable Foundation to dispatch emergency relief aid to the Philippines and Indonesia.
The Filipino community in the UAE will hold a “walk for life” on Oct. 9 in Dubai to raise funds for the flood victims. Proceeds will be donated to the PNRC.
The Singaporean Red Cross has also sent over 70,000 Singaporean dollars in public donations for the flood victims. The Singaporean government had separately contributed $50,000 to the relief effort.
Filipino nursing aides from the Red Cross Home for the Disabled in the Tangs district in Singapore collected donations to buy more water purification units, in addition to 3,200 units earlier sent by the Singapore Red Cross to the PNRC.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expressed its support and solidarity with the Philippines in the aftermath of the disaster.
