EU allocates ₱10.9 million in aid for flood-hit communities in Luzon

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 20, 2026

Photo courtesy: Context.ph

MANILA, Philippines – The European Union is providing €150,000, or about ₱10.9 million, in humanitarian assistance for communities affected by severe monsoon flooding across Luzon.

The EU Delegation to the Philippines said the funding will benefit more than 32,000 people in some of the hardest-hit areas, including the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

The assistance will support the Philippine Red Cross in distributing essential household supplies, including sleeping kits, water containers and hygiene items.

Hot meals and safe drinking water will also be provided to families in evacuation centres and affected communities. Mobile health teams will offer medical consultations, medicines, health information and mental health support, while hygiene activities and disease monitoring will be conducted to help reduce the risk of water-borne and vector-borne diseases following the floods.

The EU said the funding forms part of its contribution to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ Disaster Response Emergency Fund, or DREF.

The new allocation comes on top of more than €2 million already provided to humanitarian partners in the Philippines at the start of 2026.

Since early August, the southwest monsoon, or habagat, has been intensified by several tropical cyclones and other weather systems, bringing prolonged heavy rains that triggered flooding and landslides across parts of Luzon.

According to the EU Delegation, the severe weather damaged homes, roads, bridges, farmland, water systems and power lines, particularly in low-lying, coastal and mountainous areas. Metro Manila was also affected.

As of September 14, more than 10.5 million people across 11 regions had been affected, while over 120,100 people were displaced in more than 500 evacuation centres. More than 4,500 homes had also been damaged, while 188 cities had been placed under a state of calamity, according to the EU’s September 18 statement.

The Philippine government has also continued distributing assistance to families affected by recent tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on September 18 that government and non-government aid had reached about ₱2.5 billion, benefiting an estimated 2.08 million families.