Japan gives $3.5 M more for quake areas

MANILA, Philippines - Japan is giving additional emergency grant aid of $3.5 million (approximately 287 million Japanese yen) to support relief operations for earthquake victims in Central Visayas. 

The grant will be coursed through the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The relief operations will be in the sectors of shelter, water and sanitation and debris removal.

The emergency aid package is   in addition to emergency relief goods worth 38 million yen (tents and plastic sheets) given through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The allocation of $3.5 million comprise $1 million for IOM; $0.5 million for IFRC; $1.2 million for UNICEF; and $0.8 million for UNDP.

Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe attended on Thursday a turnover ceremony of the emergency relief goods for earthquake victims to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The assistance worth 38 million yen (approximately P16.7 million) aims to alleviate the difficulties of the victims. It includes 150 tents and 485 plastic sheets.

Over the weekend, the  DSWD is set to deliver  59,703 food packs in partnership with Australian Aid (AusAID) and the World Food Program (WFP) to  earthquake victims in the 17 worst affected towns in Bohol.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said the food packs  will contain 20 kilos of rice, 20 assorted canned goods, 10 sachets of chocolate drink, and 10 sachets of coffee.

“This partnership with AusAID and WFP will help us provide more relief goods to the affected families until such time that they can address their own food needs,” she said. “Each food pack is good for 15 days for a family of five members. These will be distributed to the most vulnerable families in worst-hit areas.”

Australian Ambassador Bill Twedell, AusAID Minister-Counsellor Layton Pike and WFP Country Director Praveen Agrawal will arrive in Bohol today to lead the relief distribution  in Sagbayan along with Soliman and Bohol Governor Edgardo Chatto. – Pia Lee-Brago, Rainier Allan Ronda