MANILA, Philippines — The United States, Japan and other countries have offered aid to typhoon survivors in the Philippines, according to Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday (Nov. 17).
But he said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had to process the aid first before this reaches the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), which would be in charge of aid distribution.
“They’re the ones who process,” Lorenzana told reporters in Filipino.
The United States, Japan and the Philippines’ neighboring countries had made known their intent to help, he said.
A string of typhoons in the past few weeks has left a trail of destruction in parts of Luzon and Visayas. Thousands have been displaced from their homes and dozens had been killed. The latest was Typhoon Ulysses, which had already caused at least P2 billion in damage to agriculture and killed 67 people.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), which Lorenzana chairs, had recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte the declaration of a state of calamity in the entire Luzon.
Should the President heed the NDRRMC recommendation and declare a state of calamity in Luzon, NDRRMC guidelines would allow the council to request and accept international aid.
A state of calamity declaration would also free up funds for use of local government units for relief and rehabilitation efforts.