EU gives another P490M to Ondoy, Pepeng victims

EU aid totals P630M

Another great news from INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—The European Commission, the European Union’s executive branch, has allocated an additional €7 million (about P490 million) in humanitarian assistance for the victims of typhoons Ondoy (international code name: Ketsana) and Pepeng (international name: Parma).

The amount, which is in response to the second flash appeal for aid by the United Nations, is on top of the €2 million (about P140 million) EC grant approved in September. It brings the total EC aid for typhoon victims to €9 million (about P630 million).

“The extent of the suffering and damage caused by Ondoy and Pepeng had called for exceptional efforts and resilience by the national and local authorities, and by so many ordinary citizens who responded directly to help those affected by the floods and landslides,” said Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, head of Delegation of the European Commission in Manila.

The amount will come from EC’s Humanitarian Aid Office and will be coursed through the UN agencies as part of the Commission’s response to the revised flash appeal.

“The UN flash appeal, revised and substantially increased on November 18, underline the tremendous needs that still have to be addressed. The European Commission has been happy to respond to this need through this additional grant,” said MacDonald on Friday.

Last Wednesday, UN revised its flash appeal from the earlier target of $74 million to $144 million, owing to the extensive devastation in crops in Northern Luzon brought about by weather disturbance that came after Ondoy and Pepeng, typhoon Santi (international code name: Mirinae). So far, only $26 million has been raised.

The UN revised flash appeal is based on its latest assessment that Ondoy and Pepeng had affected 9.8 million people and destroyed more than 40,000 homes. It said 4.2 million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, including 520,000 children younger than five years old.

The EU ambassador also said that aside from the €9 million in EC humanitarian assistance, another €7 million in grants was given by individual EC member-states to the Philippine government for the typhoon victims.

These “reaffirm the long-standing commitment of the European Union to help the people of the Philippines affected by natural or man-made disasters,” MacDonald said, adding that the financial assistance will help provide food, shelter, and nonfood items; primary health care; psychosocial assistance; emergency livelihood assistance; and logistics and transport.

Aside from financial assistance, the European Commission also dispatched experts to help assess humanitarian needs within days of the disasters, and has contributed substantially to the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment currently being carried out in cooperation with the World Bank and the United Nations, MacDonald said.

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This is another proof of bayanihan not only in the Philippines.  This is GLOBAL BAYANIHAN! 
For the humanitarian assistance for the victims of typhoons Ondoy (international code name: Ketsana) and Pepeng (international name: Parma) provided by the European Commission, thank you so much [once again], and also to World Bank and the United Nations.