UN CHIEF CALLS FOR MORE AID TO PHILIPPINES

Manila, 20 Shafar 1435/23 December 2013 (MINA) – The United Nations Secretary-General has warned of a “forgotten crisis” in the Philippines and urged the international community to increase its aid to the typhoon-stricken country.

Ban Ki-moon made the plea in Manila after a meeting with key ambassadors on Sunday, Al Jazeera quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

He told reporters after a three-day visit to the country that the UN supported Philippine reconstruction efforts and improving resilience to natural disasters.

The UN is raising $791m for a year-long recovery plan while the Philippine government has separately launched a four-year $8.17bn reconstruction plan.

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He said he was inspired and moved by his visit on Saturday to Tacloban city, one of the most deeply affected areas.

“People are working hard to recover,”he said. “We must not allow this to be another forgotten crisis.”

Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck central Philippines on November 8 to kill at least 6,100 people and leave almost 1,800 others missing.

Powerful winds and surging waters flattened entire villages, destroying more than one million homes and injuring 27,000 people.

Ban called on donors “to add to their already generous response so that we can help communities to build back better and safer.”

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The Philippine government initially had to defend its efforts to deliver assistance to typhoon victims.

The scale of the devastation meant that many of those affected received little or no helps a week after the disaster.

The Indonesian Red Cross is extending its biggest overseas humanitarian assistance to the Philippines.

It will be dispatching a ship to Tacloban, loaded not only with emergency relief supplies, but also two helicopters and an all-terrain vehicle, to reach areas still inaccessible.

The chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross, Jusuf Kalla, is personally overseeing this operation to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

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With water a critical resource in short supply, five water trucks equipped with treatment systems will also be sent.

Mr Jusuf said: “Water treatment and sanitation is very important in the current situation. We will send three water and sanitation teams with all the equipment.”

To ensure the supplies get to the hard-to-reach locations, the team will be bringing their own transport.

He said: “We will also send two helicopters with the ship. They will help to distribute the logistics that we are bringing. Certainly the helicopters will also be used by the Philippines Red Cross.”(T/P09/P04).

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)