Canada, Australia offer multi-million peso aid for Tino, Uwan response

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora, Philippine News Agency

Canada stands shoulder to shoulder with the Philippines as friends and as family, as home to more than one million Filipino-Canadians. (Unsplash photo)

MANILA- Canada and Australia have allocated and offered a combined amount of PHP166.3 million in humanitarian assistance to support the Philippines’ response efforts in the aftermath of strong typhoons that struck the country this month.

In a roundtable briefing on Friday, visiting Canadian Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai said Canada is providing a total of CAD1.2 million or approximately PHP50.4. million to help severely affected communities recover from the disasters.

A portion of the aid is the CAD625,000 funding that Canada earlier allocated to support the humanitarian work of three non-government organizations— the World Vision, Philippine Red Cross, and Angat Buhay (Angat Pinas, Inc.)— in response to the devastation left by Typhoon Tino and two major earthquakes in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The top-up fund will  augment the recovery work in areas hit by Super Typhoon Uwan, which pounded numerous provinces in the north over the weekend.

“Canada stands shoulder to shoulder with the Philippines as friends and as family, as home to more than one million Filipino-Canadians,” Sarai said.

“This series of disasters has provided a heartbreaking reminder of how climate change can intensify the extreme weather that we face. The typhoons that you had after long periods of time are now quicker, faster and with more severity, and this is causing increasing damage and threatening lives, especially to the people here in Philippines,” he added.

The Australian government, meanwhile, made its humanitarian assistance offer on the same day, saying Canberra is “willing to provide” AUD3 million or approximately PHP115.9 million to cover in-country shelter, water sanitation and hygiene, health services and food assistance in the affected areas.

“Australia always stands ready to support the Philippines. We commend the Philippine Government on their quick and extensive response to multiple disasters impacting millions of Filipinos,” said Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Marc Innes-Brown.

“Australia is willing to work with the Philippine Government where it is needed as they continue their response efforts across the country,” he added.

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has released EUR1.25 million (around PHP85 million) for the same purpose.

The EU Delegation in Manila said the fresh funding will bring emergency assistance to the most affected population, especially those displaced.

Of the total, EUR250,000 or PHP17 million will support the Philippine Red Cross humanitarian work in areas exposed to both flooding and landslides.

The assistance will also directly support communities affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Bogo City in Cebu on Sept. 30.

The donation will cover the provision of shelter items such as sleeping kits and other household items, cash grants, healthcare, and water and sanitation activities.

It comes in addition to the EUR8.5 million (PHP 578.6 million) already allocated this year for humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness.