Australia to give P10-M aid for Glenda victims

MANILA, Philippines - Australia will provide P10 million in aid (A$250,000) to victims of Typhoon Glenda.

“Australia is a close friend and partner of the Philippines, and our thoughts and sympathy go out to those affected by the typhoon,” Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddell said yesterday.

“While the full scale of the disaster is still unknown, we understand that over 75,000 families have been displaced from their homes, and more than 450,000 affected by the typhoon,” he added.

He said they are initially providing non-food items pre-positioned with the Philippine Red Cross and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). These include family survival kits such as sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets and emergency shelters delivered to over 1,400 families in Albay and Camarines Sur through the PRC.

Through UNFPA, he said health and dignity kits would be distributed to 2,000 women in the Bicol region.

Australia is one of the Philippines’ largest partners in disaster response and management. It has contributed P4 billion (A$108.12 million) in humanitarian assistance in response to several calamities since 2006.

For victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda alone, Australia provided P3.1 billion (A$77.3 million) for response and recovery needs.

MVP Group’s              Tulong Kapatid

Meanwhile, Tulong Kapatid, the social-action arm of the MVP Group of Companies, has set up community kitchens in affected areas in Bicol, Quezon and Cavite, as well as the Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas- Valenzuela area.

Libreng Tawag is also being offered through Smart Communications, including free cell phone charging using portable generator sets and solar panels.

The Manila Electric Co. has also dispatched more than 3,000 crew members to restore power.

PLDT-Smart Foundation and TV-5’s Alagang Kapatid are also set to conduct relief efforts in Bataan today.

Evacuees

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Disaster Response Operations and Monitoring Information Center said 167,293 families or 881,826 persons in seven regions were affected by Typhoon Glenda.

The DSWD said around 1,200 evacuation centers were put up for 525,791 evacuees.

It has distributed 29,880 food packs to hardest-hit areas, it added. –  With Perseus Echeminada, Evelyn Macairan, Rainier Allan Ronda