MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines will not commemorate today the first anniversary of the destructive power of Super Typhoon Yolanda but will instead express deep appreciation to the United Nations and the international community for helping the country, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said.
“From immediate humanitarian response and recovery, to the painstaking process of rehabilitation and reconstruction, your efforts have greatly contributed to helping the Philippines get back on its feet,” Del Rosario said at the 69th founding anniversary of the UN last month.
He said the Philippines’ experience of Super Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, the strongest typhoon to make landfall in recorded history, has been a heart-rending journey for the Filipino people and a painstaking process for the nation.
Yolanda struck on Nov. 8 last year, killing nearly 6,000 people and displacing 4.1 million families.
“But the Philippines is not alone in this journey, the international community continues to provide humanitarian assistance and steadfast solidarity for the Filipino people,” Del Rosario said.
He said the Philippines will commemorate not the destructive power of Yolanda, but the “power of our collective will and indomitable spirit as a community of nations.”
In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July, President Aquino expressed his appreciation for the international donors and development partners that drew loud applause from the audience, demonstrating the immense gratitude of the Filipino people.
Days after the typhoon struck, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on donor nations to ramp up aid to typhoon-battered Philippines as it grappled with a funding shortfall on the long road to recovery.
He expressed hope that his visit to the Philippines last December would inspire the international community to “keep focus on this crisis.”
Ban, who said the Typhoon Yolanda experience should not be a “forgotten crisis,” met with the ambassadors of donor nations in Manila during his visit and urged them to provide and speed up support.
The UN chief visited Tacloban City to see the extent of Yolanda’s damage in the area.
More than 40 international donors pledged or had sent assistance to support the relief and recovery operations in the areas affected by Yolanda.
Donors also committed long-term assistance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Yolanda-affected areas.
“The foreign assistance was overwhelming. The outpouring of support was very moving actually,” Del Rosario said.
Yolanda not only demonstrates the threat of extreme weather patterns that may be the new normal as a result of climate change but also on development.
Del Rosario said the greatest challenge to the Philippines in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) was the series of disasters that had befallen the country.
He said Yolanda made a significant impact on the modest progress the Philippines achieved towards the MDGs.
Continued support
At the first anniversary of the Yolanda tragedy, the European Union said the enormous damage caused by the typhoon showed the high vulnerability of the Philippines to climate change.
The EU said it would continue their joint assistance to the rehabilitation of the communities ravaged by Yolanda as the regional organization recalled the need to address climate change.
The humanitarian assistance and early recovery interventions provided by the EU institutions to Yolanda survivors amounts to 43.57 million euros (P2.5 billion), while the overall EU humanitarian assistance for Yolanda, including the funding coming from its member states, amounts to 502.39 million euros (P28.5 billion).
“All these contributions have made a difference for around 1.2 million people,” the EU said.
The EU’s relief efforts are being carried out by partner organizations including the World Food Program, the International Federation of the Red Cross, UNICEF, Action Contre la Faim, Save the Children, CARE, Merlin, Plan International, Oxfam, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Organization for Migration.
With the vulnerability of the Philippines to adverse effects of climate change, the EU is offering its assistance to the country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change slated in Paris next year.
Despite the damage caused by Typhoon Yolanda, the EU acknowledged the transition from emergency to rehabilitation was quick, citing the strength and resilience shown by the Filipino people.
The EU also cited the combined efforts by aid agencies, donors, the concerned governments, including civil protection authorities, NGOs and budgetary authorities.