The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $2-million grant, or around P103 million, to support the Philippine government’s response to the devastation caused by Typhoon Odette.
In a statement yesterday, the multilateral agency said the grant under its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund will provide humanitarian assistance to about 15,000 households, or about 75,000 people, in Visayas and Mindanao severely affected by the December 16 typhoon.
It will fund food vouchers to be distributed to target communities, which beneficiaries can exchange for food in selected markets. The grant also includes logistics support for the food assistance delivery.
“Typhoon Odette’s damage on housing, agriculture, and infrastructure amid the COVID-19 pandemic has made life more difficult for Filipinos in affected areas,” Ramesh Subramaniam, ADB director general for Southeast Asia, said.
“This assistance will help finance the humanitarian needs of those residents, especially people living in remote areas,” Subramaniam added.
ADB said it is partnering with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver the food assistance. It builds on WFP’s ongoing work with the Department of Social Welfare and Development to provide emergency relief to typhoon-hit areas.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council estimated the typhoon caused P24.6 billion in damage to crops, public infrastructure and private property.
The category five typhoon destroyed more than 1.7 million houses in eight provinces. The United Nations estimated over 9.9 million people across the six worst-hit regions were affected by the typhoon, with nearly 144,000 people still without a home as of January 28. – Angela Celis
