The European Union has released EUR1.25 million (PHP85 million) in humanitarian aid following the widespread damage caused by Typhoons Tino and Uwan.
This funding will bring emergency assistance to the most affected population, such as people who have lost their homes and are displaced. Notably, funding will directly support beneficiaries in communities affected by the typhoons in Cebu that had been previously hit by the recent earthquake.
Of the total, EUR250,000 (PHP17 million) will support the Philippine Red Cross in providing help to people still displaced by the Cebu earthquake, and that have been exposed again to flooding and landslides.
Assistance includes shelter items such as sleeping kits and other household items and cash grants to meet basic needs, as well as healthcare and water and sanitation activities.
This is part of the EU’s contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
EU-funded partners have also used existing EU funds for disaster preparedness and anticipatory actions to provide cash assistance and first response.
This new funding comes in addition to the EUR8.5 million (PHP578.6 million) already allocated this year in humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness to the Philippines. This included EUR1.3 million (PHP88.50 million) allocated in response to tropical cyclones that affected the country in July and late September, and EUR1.2 million (PHP85 million) in response to earthquakes in Cebu and Davao.Â
The EU funding is being made available via the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) department of the European Commission. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters around the world every year, providing assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.
