Fresh funds from Europe for Ondoy, Pepeng victims

Victims of tropical cyclones "Ondoy" (Ketsana) and "Pepeng" (Parma) stand to benefit from a fresh grant of €7 million (about P490 million) in humanitarian assistance from the European Commission. The National Disaster Coordinating Council said the grant, which the EC approved this week, is separate from the €2 million (P140 million) grant approved September 29 last year. An article posted Friday evening on the NDCC website said this brings EC funding for Ondoy and Pepeng 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. The European Commission, through its Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), has been happy to add its support to these efforts," EC Head of Delegation in Manila Ambassador Alistair MacDonald said. MacDonald recalled EC President Jose Manuel Barroso, had written to President Arroyo last September 29 to extend sincere condolences, sympathy and solidarity to those affected by the disaster. He added the €9 million in EC humanitarian assistance, plus more than €7 million in grants from individual Member-States of the European Union, reaffirms the longstanding commitment of the European Union to help the people of the Philippines affected by natural or man-made disasters. The latest EC funding will be channeled through international organizations and international non-governmental organizations experienced in this field, working in close coordination with the relevant national authorities. "The assistance will cover a broad array of priority needs, including for example the provision of food, shelter and non-food items, primary health care, psychosocial assistance, emergency livelihood assistance, logistics and transport," the NDCC said. Besides funding for humanitarian assistance, the EC had also dispatched experts to help assess humanitarian needs within days of the disasters. It also contributed substantially to the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) currently being carried out in cooperation with the World Bank and the United Nations. - GMANews.TV