RP, UN appeal for US$16.2 million help for 2006 typhoons

By Ronron
July 5, 2007

The Philippine government and the United Nations (UN) jointly appealed on Thursday to the local and international community for some US$16.2 million to fund needs for residual relief and early recovery activities for victims of four typhoons in the Philippines late last year.

In a statement, the Philippine government and the UN said the appealed amount will be used for the following: 1) providing food aid and temporary wage employment; 2) re-establishing essential services, such as health, education, nutrition, and water and sanitation; 3) ensuring temporary and permanent shelter for the affected population; 4) distributing seeds, tools, and other goods and services that help to revive the socio-economic activities of the affected populations; 5) urgent environmental restoration needed to allow return to livelihoods; 6) supporting national and local governments in implementing early recovery programs; and, 7) strengthening the self-help efforts and capacities of the affected population (displaced people in particular) to contribute actively to the resettlement process.

The consolidated appeal was made at a time when the country is expecting weather disturbances to start hitting starting this month until October, based on forecasts made by the government weather station. The Philippines is visited annually by more or less 20 storms or typhoons.

“It needs to be stated that these funds will not be used for any new emergency needs, but are intended to continue to provide for existing humanitarian and early recovery plans following the September/December 2006 series of typhoons,” the statement said.

Last year’s four typhoons from September 27 until December left 1,158 people dead, 3,235 injured and 891 missing, according to National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Executive Officer Glenn Rabonza.

Hardest hit by those typhoons were the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes provinces.

The 309,518 totally damaged and 301,729 partially damaged houses left 300,000 people displaced, he said. Schools and health facilities likewise suffered large-scale damages.

Total losses in those calamities were estimated to be worth P20 billion or US$434 million, said Rabonza.

Following the first Typhoon Appeal made by the government and the UN last December 15, 2006 when the Philippine’s was declared as under a State of Calamity, a total of US$24.4 million was committed to the Philippines. But only US$15 million of that pledge materialized.

So far, a total of over US$12 million or 80.52 percent of the received funds has been utilized by the UN and its partners on wide range of interventions in the areas of food and agriculture, livelihood, shelter and camp management, transport and logistics, health, protection and education, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition and early recovery. The remaining US$2.9 million has already been committed to specific projects.

The statement said over 6.8 million individuals and 566 institutions (schools and health centers) have benefited from the projects and activities funded by said amount.

The statement said a Consolidated Appeal is made this time, or six months after the First Appeal, because “the First Appeal did not include many early recovery components as it was too early to assess recovery-related needs.”

“The funds for residual relief programs would help the UN and partner agencies to sustain their relief activities among the communities affected by typhoons and provide them the much needed continuity in addressing a wide spectrum of humanitarian needs, whereas the early recovery assistance would provide an opportunity to implement the resettlement program, introduce risk reduction measures in the process of recovery, and provide an effective decision support system to the Government of Philippines,” the statement said./DMS