On October 30, the NDRRMC recommended to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a one-year state of national calamity after STS Nalgae battered almost the whole country and left 162 fatalities and caused gargantuan damage to infrastructures and livelihoods. However, the current administration has only issued the proposed proclamation for four regions (Regions 4A, 5, 6 and BARMM) with more than 1.4 million residents. Pre-emptively, the government evacuated over 356,000 persons but currently almost 349,000 persons are still displaced.
As the climate negotiations is currently taking place, the Philippines is living with massive loss and damage. STS Nalgae alone damaged 64,209 houses of which 57,888 are partially damaged while 6,361 are unliveable. While the damage to infrastructure and agriculture marks a skyrocketing cost of Php 12 billion particularly affecting 146,927 farmers and fisherfolk[1]. This is on top of the already huge loss and damage caused by the recent Typhoon Karding, some in the same areas hit by STS Nalgae. Relief efforts from the government, NGOs and other stakeholders have undertaken but much effort is needed to contribute to the recovery of the most vulnerable population affected by these climate-induced weather events.
According to the Joint Rapid Needs Assessment conducted by BARMM government partners and the MHT, the priority humanitarian needs include food, WASH and NFIs including hygiene kits, sleeping kits and kitchen/cooking sets. Most of the water sources are either destroyed or contaminated which is further damaging the health as toilets have been submerged or destroyed by floods.
To Respond to the urgent needs of the affected people the National Council of Churches Philippines designed a 4 months response project which will provide relief assistance to 2,100 families or 10,500 persons from the priority areas in the regions of Cagayan Valley, Bicol and Panay Island. In coordination with the local churches, ecumenical partners and authorities in the target areas, the following activities will be undertaken within the next four months:
1. Provision of multi-purpose cash assistance to 1200 families
2. Distribution of food assistance to 900 families
3. Distribution of hygiene and sanitation kits to 2100 families
