EU, Canada send aid for Mindanao calamity victims
THE European Union and Canada have extended a combined financial assistance amounting to P44.5 million to help the victims of widespread flooding and landslides in Mindanao.
The EU Delegation to the Philippines said on Thursday, February 22, they had allocated 500,000 euros or P30 million to help the affected communities in Mindanao, while Canada chipped in 350,000 Canadian dollars or P14.5 million.
EU Ambassador to Manila Luc Véron said the funding “will support our humanitarian partners in delivering crucial assistance to the most vulnerable, ensuring they can cover their basic needs in this time of crisis.”
Canada on the other hand said it sent monetary aid to support the response to recent flooding in Mindanao through its Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund with the Humanitarian Coalition.
The Embassy of Canada in Manila on February 14 said the aid “will help provide emergency water, sanitation, hygiene services as well as the distribution of multipurpose cash and nonfood items to affected communities.”
Australia and the United Kingdom through their embassies in the Philippines also offered help.
Australia “always stands ready to support Filipinos hit by disasters,” Australian Ambassador Hae Kyong Yu wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on February 12.
Yu said the embassy is working with the International Organization for Migration Philippines to support the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development “through the distribution of 1,800 shelter tarps prepositioned in Mindanao to assist families that continue to be affected by the recent floods.”
British Ambassador Laure Beaufils on February 13 wrote on X, “On behalf of the UK embassy in Manila, I extend my sincere condolences to all those affected by the devastating landslide in Davao de Oro, and in particular to the loved ones of those killed in this tragedy.”
Heavy rains hit eastern parts of Mindanao since January 28 which caused large-scale flooding and landslides that affected over 1.5 million people.
As of February 19, the severe floods caused damage to some 1,700 homes, over 700 of which were reduced to rubble, leaving over 200,000 people displaced.
The EU Delegation to the Philippines said the aid will address the immediate needs of 12,000 people in some of the worst-hit, isolated areas in the southern region.
“A series of unexpected heavy rainfall caused thousands of families in Mindanao to lose their homes, livelihoods and belongings,” Veron said in a statement.
He said the assistance will help EU humanitarian partners already on the ground to deliver vital aid to those most in need.
The aid will focus on providing emergency food and livelihood support, as well as ensuring affected families have access to clean water, sanitation facilities and education.
In addition, some 25,000 hectares of agricultural lands and a number of infrastructure sustained extensive damage. The floodwaters and the landslides have also rendered water from natural sources unsafe, EU Mission in Manila said.
The EU funding is being made available via the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department of the European Commission, through its small-scale response mechanism.