The situation is even more pressing considering that the Philippines is a disaster-prone country with an estimated 20 typhoons annually. It is also regarded as one of the countries most affected by climate-related disasters, with the 2012 World Risk Report ranking the archipelago as third among 173 countries most at risk of natural hazards.
In continuing support to the Philippine Government’s efforts to build the resilience of vulnerable communities threatened by natural disasters and climate-related risks in the country, the United States, through the US Agency for International Development/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, has allocated another US$5.5 million (PhP 184.3 million) to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
The new grant will support the roll-out of the third phase of WFP’s Disaster Preparedness and Response/Climate Change Adaptation (DPR/CCA) Programme, which was piloted in 2011 in the four highly disaster-prone provinces of Benguet, Cagayan, Laguna, and Sorsogon. The third phase will expand the DPR/CCA Programme’s activities to five new provinces, namely Batangas, Misamis Oriental, and Iloilo, as well as in the Typhoon Bopha-affected areas of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley. It will likewise now incorporate climate change adaptation activities in all programme areas.
The U.S. grant will be used to support projects to be identified and proposed by the communities themselves. The projects will help communities to prepare for and respond to natural hazards that are most likely to affect their areas – therefore benefiting tens of thousands of Filipinos across different provinces throughout the country.
The DPR/CCA Programme will also explore ways to engage the private sector as partners, after already involving national and local governments, academic institutions, and non-government/civil society organizations in its first two phases.
“WFP is grateful to the US Government for its continued support to and confidence in WFP’s Disaster Preparedness and Response/Climate Change Adaptation Programme,” said WFP Philippines Representative and Country Director Praveen Agrawal. “The feedback from the first two phases has been very positive, and through this generous grant from the US, we will be able to expand efforts and assist more communities in building their resilience to natural hazards, including the impact of climate change. We believe this work can help create a more food secure Philippines.”
The United States Agency for International Development/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance has supported the DPR/CCA Programme since its pilot phase in 2011, paving the way for vital community initiatives such as developing early warning systems; planning community disaster response strategies; organizing Community Emergency Response Teams; constructing Disaster Operations Centres and evacuation centres; raising awareness through tailored information and education campaigns; conducting damage and needs assessments and hazard and risk profiling; as well as using Geographic Information System to improve mapping of key risks and resources.
