The UK Government contributed £1 million (PHP 74.14 million) to help those most affected by successive typhoons that have recently struck the Philippines
The UK stands ready to support the Philippines amid the impact of several typhoons this past month. Ambassador Laure Beaufils said:
The UK Government has contributed £1 million (PHP 74.14 million) to help those most affected by the successive typhoons that recently struck the Philippines. This will include funding to the World Food Programme to provide cash assistance to help people meet their immediate needs and rebuild their livelihoods.
The UK will support UNICEF’s provision of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. Access to safe drinking water is a critical need following significant flooding in the Bicol region. It will also help improve sanitation and solid waste management to reduce the risk of health risks.
The assistance is expected to start reaching those affected by Typhoon Kristine and the others, including the areas impacted by Pepito, over the weekend of 23 November. It is aimed at augmenting government assistance for the affected communities.
In addition to this £1 million bilateral contribution, the UK also supports centrally managed funds that have allocated funds to the response. This includes £595,000 from the “Start Ready” fund that is providing rapid emergency assistance in Cagayan. The UK has also supported the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies’ Disaster Response Emergency Fund, which contributed CHF 900,000 to the Philippines Red Cross’ operations and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, which has released $ 3.5 million to the UN’s response.