Australia offers up to P88M aid for flood victims

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Australia has offered up to P88 million (A$2M) in assistance to the Philippines for the conduct of relief operations for flood victims heavily affected by monsoon rains that ravaged Metro Manila and neighboring provinces this week.

“We received today a pledge of A$2M from Australia,” Del Rosario said at the sidelines of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) celebration of the 45th founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Friday morning in Pasay City.

In a separate statement emailed to reporters Friday, Senator Bob Carr, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, said that the Australian government has provided P44 million (A$1M) to buy emergency kits for distribution to families which include medical supplies, mosquito nets and water containers, and the other P44 million (A$1M) for 1,000 tonnes of rice.

The statement noted that the relief support would be delivered through the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Bill Tweddell, in the same statement, said that the items were made available through the two institutions so that they could be immediately accessed in serious humanitarian situations.

“We know that prompt response is essential to saving lives during disasters. Australia, through our arrangements with the Philippine Red Cross and WFP, is able to assist the Philippine government to respond quickly and effectively,” Tweddell said.

Tweddell also lauded the Philippine government, saying it made a quick response for the victims through widespread search and rescue operations for those stranded by floods and buried by landslides.

The statement also noted that officials of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), who had been working closely with the Philippine government, visited flood-affected areas this week. It said the officials continued to work to ensure the Philippines received support needed to manage the crisis.

The statement noted that the two countries had been in development cooperation partnerships for over 50 years. It said that Australia had provided more than P760 million in humanitarian and emergency aid to the Philippines.

“Australia’s program has a focus on Metro Manila and supports hazard and risk analysis, risk-sensitive land use planning, community-based disaster preparedness, capacity building on urban search and rescue, and providing safer settlements for those living in danger areas,” it said.

It added that the aid partnership with the Philippines was one of Australia’s largest, with more than P20 billion in official development assistance in the past five years.

It said Australia’s current annual aid to the Philippines was estimated at P5.5 billion, making Australia among the top grant donors to the Philippines.

When asked about the other forms of assistance given to the country, Del Rosario said that he had not looked at the other pledges yet.

The United States had earlier said it would offer up to $100,000 in assistance.

Raul Hernandez, DFA spokesperson, in a separate interview, said that they did not have any other information but that the country did not ask for aid.

“The countries gave it as their expression of solidarity and generosity,” Hernandez said.