Philippine Red Cross first at Haiyan

We’ve been reading of comments/complaints that little has been done by concerned agencies for the satisfactory rehabilitation of the areas and people affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) two years ago. One complaint is that funds intended for the victims of the catastrophe have not been utilized but kept in banks – for what reasons, we do not know.

It is gratifying to note that some private organizations have made headways in efforts to restore the wellbeing of thousands of catastrophe victims.  I especially salute the leadership of the Philippine Red Cross and its ally Red Cross organizations abroad for their Haiyan recovery program which includes services ranging from shelter, livelihood, cash relief assistance, water and sanitation, hygiene promotion, and rehabilitation of classrooms. I must add that the multi-faceted program exceeds the general perception that the Red Cross is concerned only with blood letting and transfusions. As you will read further, it is concerned with life and the living.

PRC is to be credited for its forward-planning and preparations for expected calamities. It was on the job two days before the strongest storm to ever make landfall in world history struck the country on Nov. 8, 2013. As early as November 6, PRC chapters were advised by PRC Chairman Richard Gordon to take immediate precautionary measures, and mobilize units for the consolidation of supplies, vehicles, equipment and manpower. The next day, Gordon sent a text blast to all PRC chapters to activate response units in the respective areas which were previously identified.

During this time, the PRC leadership called for an emergency meeting with Movement partners International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Australian RC, Spanish RC, German RC, the Netherland RC and Finish RC. Together, they discussed plans on how to address the immediate needs and life-saving measures to the vulnerable population affected by typhoon Haiyan.

Haiyan made landfall on Nov. 8, and in less than 48 hours, PRC was on the ground, removing debris to open up main roads (more than 10,000 cubic meters of debris were collected), dispensing 68,702 hot meals and supplies to hungry survivors, and attending to the medical needs of citizens. All these activities were already ongoing when other agencies were still organizing plans and mobilizing their units.

Two years after Haiyan, PRC Chairman Gordon reported at a press conference that the organization has helped tens of thousands of affected families get back their means of livelihood, built safer, more disaster resilient homes and classrooms, and given people access to improved health and sanitation facilities and services.

To date, PRC’S Haiyan Recovery program has built 66,011 homes short of the target 80,203 or 86 percent of the target number of houses to be built, amounting to around P2.2 billion. Its shelter program is spread across nine Haiyan-affected provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Iloilo, Leyte, Palawan and Western Samar. The program has provided the largest ever shelter assistance that the Red Cross has provided in any post disaster operations locally and globally, in terms of number of houses built and amount of shelter assistance provided.

“What we are doing is not just building shelter for the families affected,” said Gordon. “More importantly, we are giving them back their dignity, which is why families are involved from the beginning in the process of building their homes.”

In building shelters, the PRC involves the community in all aspects of the building process. The beneficiaries themselves were part of the consultations regarding designs and plans for the shelters that the Red Cross and its partners were to build for the beneficiaries and even involved them in the actual building of the houses.

Houses built employed the “build back better” principle for disaster resilience and have been proven to withstand some of the strongest typhoons that came after Yolanda.

During the emergency phase, the Red Cross was able to provide emergency cash relief assistance to 90,779 families, the biggest ever cash transfer programming operations in the RC movement history after an emergency or disaster. A total of P281,529,400 or $6,256,208 was disbursed to affected families in four months, from December 2013 to March 2014. Unconditional cash relief given per family ranged from P2,000 to P5,000.

Provision of shelter was augmented with livelihood assistance in the form of livelihood cash grants that beneficiaries used to start a new livelihood source, or restart their lost livelihood, according to Gordon. To date, 59,218 families out of the target 62,289 households or 95 percent of the target number of beneficiaries have been provided with livelihood assistance through conditional cash grants. The total amount of livelihood assistance to date is P592,189,000.

Aside from housing and livelihood, PRC also focused on health, sanitation and education. Through the Haiyan recovery operations, there are now 32 schools with improved access to water and sanitation facilities, and 38 health facilities that have been repaired and reconstructed, which will cater to 222,6178 individuals based on the population of the area.

Nor has the education sector been left behind, as the Red Cross also focused restoring classrooms so students can go back to their classes. To date, 410 classrooms have already been rehabilitated and reconstructed, of which 39,164 students have benefited. There were also 5,083 students who have received  school kits from the Red Cross.

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The Forum for Family Planning and Development will host the 8th Rafael M. Salas Cup on Nov. 24 at the Veterans Golf Club on Mindanao Ave., Quezon City. Former President Fidel V. Ramos will lead an expected 100 golfers at the tournament named in honor of  Rafael Salas, the first executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with the rank of Undersecretary-General.

This year’s tournament carries the theme, “Ang Pagpaplano ng Pamilya ay Para sa Kalusugan, Kaligayahan, Kinabukasan ng Ina, Ama at Anak.” (Family planning is for the health, happiness and bright future of the mother, father and child.)

To date, the major platinum, silver and bronze sponsors are:

1st Philippine Holdings Corp., DKT Philippines, Ayala Corp., Group Management Development Inc., San Miguel Corp., Marubeni Philippines, San Roque Power Corp., Team Energy, Province of Pangasinan, Shell Companies in the Philippines, SGV and Co., Asia United Bank, Landbank of the Philippines, Social Security System, Meralco, Smart, Philippine Resources Savings Bank, Quickminds, WOW Magic Sing, Stradcom, and other donors.

To express intent to support a worthy cause, call Golfmix at 8170951 loc 282, 6970520, 0917.8400119 or email [email protected]. 

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Email: [email protected]