EU Humanitarian Aid provides windows of hope for displaced Filipinos in times of crises

During the Senior Officials Meeting held last 4th of July, Gunnar Wiegand Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific of the European External Action Service announced the allocation of P49 million in humanitarian aid, which will cover the needs of over 50,000 people affected by the ongoing conflict in Marawi City.

This aid is coming from the European Union (EU), through its European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), to  support the delivery of immediate life-saving assistance to those in need and contribute to increased protection of people affected by the conflict.  

The latest available data shows that over 400 people having been killed and more than 400,000 others have been displaced. This large-scale displacement resulted in a new humanitarian crisis, aggravating the living conditions of the people in Southern Philippines. Basic services have to be addressed such as access to food, clean water, sanitation facilities and proper hygiene in the evacuation centers.

The European Union comes in as a longstanding partner of the Philippines by providing a rapid response and support to the families and communities affected not only by the crises such as the one in Marawi, but also by natural disasters when they occur.

As a whole, the EU is the world’s leading humanitarian aid donor. It provides a major proportion of global funding for emergency relief to victims of man-made and natural disasters. Created in 1992, ECHO is the central body providing and coordinating European humanitarian assistance, with a field network spanning 48 offices across the world.

In the Philippines, ECHO has two humanitarian staff, a programme officer and a logistician/ finance assistant. They are supported by the ECHO Regional office in Bangkok, which provides sectoral expertise, making sure that humanitarian aid is promptly distributed to families and communities affected by both man-made and natural disasters. As humanitarian assistance needs to be delivered fast, ECHO staff are immediately deployed following the onset of a natural or man-made disaster, in order to carry out initial assessment of the situation in collaboration with humanitarian actors on the ground.

Funds are then immediately disbursed according to the ‘needs-based approach’ that delineates ECHO’s work. Aid is channelled through ECHO’s humanitarian partners which include UN agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the International Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. ECHO’s structure ensures that funds are used transparently and that partners remain accountable.

All ECHO actions follow the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. As such, all aid is channelled impartially to the affected populations, regardless of their race, ethnic group, religion, gender, age, nationality or political affiliation. Given the growing number of refugees and displaced persons in unpredictable situations, the EU developed in 2016 a stronger development-orientation and approach to forced displacement. As such, the EU puts more emphasis on supporting the socio-economic inclusion of forcibly displaced persons and addressing the root causes of long-term displacement. This approach demands a stronger strategic and operational link between development and humanitarian assistance.

Gender integration and combating gender-based violence likewise continue to be a special focus, especially due to the need to prioritise the most vulnerable groups including women and children.

So what does this mean in the Philippines?  Due to its long experience of recurring cyclones and storms, the country has well-developed crisis management capacities even though they are not always sufficient. ECHO regularly steps in to deliver urgently needed humanitarian assistance. Floods, landslides and destruction of homes and livelihoods caused by frequent storms or typhoons often leave people in need of basic provisions. Likewise, displacements due to socio-political turmoil in different zones trigger similar humanitarian needs among vulnerable populations.

Since 1997, the EU has released more than €75 million (P4.32 billion) in emergency relief interventions for victims of natural disasters and €26.25 million (P1,514 billion) to help those affected by armed conflicts. A further €10 million (P577 million) has also been allocated to local communities to better prepare for, withstand and recover from natural disasters in the framework of the worldwide Disaster Preparedness Programme.

In 2016, the EU granted more than €2.1 million (P121.1 million) to address the needs of the most vulnerable communities affected by typhoons Meranti, Sarika, Haima and Melor. €30 million (P1.731 billion) was provided for those displaced by Typhoon Haiyan while an additional €10 million (P577 million) was allocated for infrastructure reconstruction.

In response to the conflict in Mindanao, the EU provided close to € 5 million (P287.5 million) from 2015 to 2017 to support the provision of relief items and to cover the needs of those in the evacuation and displacement sites while a further €1 million was provided to ensure access to quality education for children affected by conflict.

Hand in hand with disaster response is the need for better preparedness. Over the years, ECHO has been very active in supporting global disaster risk reduction efforts through collaboration with the government, NGOs and local communities in helping barangays to better prepare themselves against disasters. ECHO has supported community-based activities, local capacity-building, small-scale mitigation actions, the creation of early warning systems, school based disaster preparedness and public awareness campaigns. This contributed to create operations manual for local government units in setting up their disaster risk reduction and management plans as well as incorporating disaster risk reduction in school curriculums. In addition, it strengthened the collaboration between local government sector and national agencies such as the National Food Authority, Coast Guard, Department of Health and Department of Education in instituting immediate actions in times of disasters.

After focussing its support on strengthening a community-based approach, ECHO has shifted its approach towards urban resilience to devise ways of better integrating the urban poor into disaster preparedness plans. ECHO has introduced systems and models of alternative temporary shelters, resilient livelihoods and risk transfer modalities. This has improved disaster risk reduction and management plans in several cities in Metro Manila.

Given all these humanitarian aid and disaster risk reduction programmes active in the Philippines, many challenges remain but the need to continue to work for solidarity lies ahead.

Together with the international community, Filipinos can very well maximise their resilient spirits and "bayanihan attitude" to minimise the harmful effects of natural and man-made disasters.