UK announces $9.6m relief aid for Philippines

The United Kingdom (UK) on Sunday announced the provision of at least US $9.6 Million (British pounds 6 Million, Peso 414 Million) to help the Philippine government's ongoing relief operations for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda that smashed into the country's central region Friday. "Yolanda is but the latest of a sequence of human and natural disasters to have hit the Philippines in recent months including floods in Mindanao and Luzon, the violence in Zamboanga and the earthquake in Bohol. Exceptional times require an exceptional response," the Philippines News Agency (PNA) reported Sunday quoting a media statement released by the British Embassy here. UK Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad said, "At this most difficult time we in the UK, including the large community of Filipinos who live and work in the UK, want to show our support and encouragement for all those helping the relief efforts." The speed and efficiency of action in the days ahead, led by the Philippine Government and the UN, can save lives and provide security and comfort to those affected, he added. UK's Secretary for Overseas Development Justine Greening said "Many thousands of people in remote, hard to reach communities have lost their homes and everything they own. They are living out in the open, exposed to the elements. The absolute priority must be to reach them with shelter and protection." The assistance from Britain is in addition to the US $6.4 Million (Pounds 4 Million, P276 Million) it earlier provided for Philippine emergency responses, Greening said. The UK aid will use the Department for International Development's Rapid Response Facility so partners on the ground can provide crucial humanitarian aid for up to 500,000 people including temporary shelter and access to clean water. It will also be used for the provision of urgently-needed shelter items such as plastic sheeting, and household items like kitchen sets and blankets from the stockpile of humanitarian items at the UK's warehouse in Dubai. An additional team of four humanitarian experts will also join the three advisers already in country who will be provided equipment to support them.