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World's most powerful typhoon hits Philippines

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16 foreign armed forces helping Philippines

Nikko Dizon

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Publication Date : 22-11-2013


Friends in good times and bad.

This was how the Australian defence attaché summed up Thursday the Multinational Coordinating Council (MNCC) of the Philippine government and the armed forces of 16 countries working together for faster and more efficient distribution of relief to the survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in the Eastern Visayas.

“Our shared histories with the Philippines go a long way back. Friendship is not just about the good times. Friendship is also about the bad times, too,” Lt. Col. Paul Barta told theInquirer.

The 16 countries on the council are the Philippines, Australia, United States, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Sweden, Vietnam, South Korea, New Zealand, Spain, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel.

“Our friendship has been long term. Our commitment remains long term and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of the Philippines. After a formal request from the government of the Philippines, the United States arrived and ready to help along with other nations,” said Tina Malone, spokesperson for the US Embassy.
“Our role was to amplify the government of the Philippines’ response by providing extra help in a time of need in the spirit of damayan,” Malone added.

16 foreign armed forces helping Philippines - ANN
 
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Salamat po sa lahat (thank you to all) kamatayan sa mga imperialistang twekwas
 
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Abad: Only 25% of ‘Yolanda’ foreign aid received
07:53 PM September 13th, 2015

Almost two years after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) flattened most of central Philippines, only less than a fourth of foreign aid pledges has been received by the national government, according to Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad.

Citing the latest, updated data from the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub, Abad said that of the P73.3 billion, or $1.6 billion, in pledges made by international aid agencies and foreign governments, only P17.3 billion, or $386.2 million, was received by the national government, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and multilateral institutions.

Of the P45.1 billion in cash pledges, only P1.2 billion was funneled to the national government, while of the P28.2 billion in noncash commitments, the government received just P1.3 billion through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Health, he said.

Abad pointed out that of the total foreign aid received this far, the bulk, or P14.8 billion, had been distributed to NGOs and multilateral agencies, such as the United Nations.

“The No. 1 problem is that a significant portion [of the foreign aid commitments] has remained as pledges, and those that may have materialized have not been released directly to the Philippine government, especially for UN agencies,” he told reporters on the sidelines of last week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Cebu.

“And the coordination [with NGOs and multilateral agencies] has not been good. We have not been able to get updates from them how they may have disbursed [the aid they received] and quite a number have been donations in kind,” he added.

Abad said that the NGOs and multilateral institutions should also explain, not just the government. “People are barking up the wrong tree if the government should explain everything. We can explain only up to the extent of P1.2-billion cash and P1.3-billion noncash [that the government had received].”

“Where are all those pledges [to NGOs and multilateral agencies]?” he asked, noting that their representatives had “complete” photo opportunities when they came.

Had they invested their funds in repairing municipal buildings so that offices could get back to work, that would have been a wiser move than build boats and get all the media attention, Abad said.

Chaloka Beyani, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), who visited storm-hit areas in July, said “financial constraints on authorities have impacted on their ability to move forward toward durable solutions for all those affected and to resolve immediate issues related to adequate provision of basic services.”

He commended the government’s immediate responses but added it had failed to ensure adequate sustainable solutions for the IDPs. He raised concerns over funding shortfalls and political challenges, including inadequate cooperation between national and local governments, which are delaying processes toward achieving “durable” solutions in the communities.

Abad said the government had released P89 billion as of mid-July out of the required P185 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation. “Insofar as budget requirements, we are complete up to 2016 … we are already covered. The real challenge here is execution,” he said.—Ben O. de Vera

Abad: Only 25% of ‘Yolanda’ foreign aid received | Inquirer News
 
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Abad: Only 25% of ‘Yolanda’ foreign aid received
07:53 PM September 13th, 2015

Almost two years after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) flattened most of central Philippines, only less than a fourth of foreign aid pledges has been received by the national government, according to Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad.

Citing the latest, updated data from the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub, Abad said that of the P73.3 billion, or $1.6 billion, in pledges made by international aid agencies and foreign governments, only P17.3 billion, or $386.2 million, was received by the national government, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and multilateral institutions.

Of the P45.1 billion in cash pledges, only P1.2 billion was funneled to the national government, while of the P28.2 billion in noncash commitments, the government received just P1.3 billion through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Health, he said.

Abad pointed out that of the total foreign aid received this far, the bulk, or P14.8 billion, had been distributed to NGOs and multilateral agencies, such as the United Nations.

“The No. 1 problem is that a significant portion [of the foreign aid commitments] has remained as pledges, and those that may have materialized have not been released directly to the Philippine government, especially for UN agencies,” he told reporters on the sidelines of last week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Cebu.

“And the coordination [with NGOs and multilateral agencies] has not been good. We have not been able to get updates from them how they may have disbursed [the aid they received] and quite a number have been donations in kind,” he added.

Abad said that the NGOs and multilateral institutions should also explain, not just the government. “People are barking up the wrong tree if the government should explain everything. We can explain only up to the extent of P1.2-billion cash and P1.3-billion noncash [that the government had received].”

“Where are all those pledges [to NGOs and multilateral agencies]?” he asked, noting that their representatives had “complete” photo opportunities when they came.

Had they invested their funds in repairing municipal buildings so that offices could get back to work, that would have been a wiser move than build boats and get all the media attention, Abad said.

Chaloka Beyani, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), who visited storm-hit areas in July, said “financial constraints on authorities have impacted on their ability to move forward toward durable solutions for all those affected and to resolve immediate issues related to adequate provision of basic services.”

He commended the government’s immediate responses but added it had failed to ensure adequate sustainable solutions for the IDPs. He raised concerns over funding shortfalls and political challenges, including inadequate cooperation between national and local governments, which are delaying processes toward achieving “durable” solutions in the communities.

Abad said the government had released P89 billion as of mid-July out of the required P185 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation. “Insofar as budget requirements, we are complete up to 2016 … we are already covered. The real challenge here is execution,” he said.—Ben O. de Vera

Abad: Only 25% of ‘Yolanda’ foreign aid received | Inquirer News







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