US aircraft help ferry relief goods to remote villages. (DJ Sta. Ana, News 5)
The United States and the United Kingdom have vowed to support Philippine efforts to rehabilitate 44 provinces badly hit by supertyphoon Yolanda.
American and British governments expressed this commitment on Monday after their officials visited Tacloban City, which was flattened by storm surges that the typhoon brought.
A United States congressional delegation (Codel) said that Washington is now looking at addressing the “unmet needs” of survivors, including housing requirements in Central and Eastern Visayas provinces.
"We are looking at what unmet needs are certainly in areas of housing. We saw colossal need. We want to be part of the solution working with the government and the USAID," Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey said during a press conference.
Smith, Al Green of Texas, and Trent Franks of Arizona paid a visit to Tacloban to further express sympathies of the American people.
Smith said they will now start laying out all possible needs and assistance so it could come up a response as soon as they come back to their country.
"We're going to be careful laying out need and possible soonest and our executive branch so we can come up with a response, generous and robust for unmet needs," he said. "We will bring information back to the US and work with our colleagues.”
For his part, Philippines’ Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario expressed thanks for US assistance to the Philippines.
"We thank the United States for sharing their unique airlift capabilities in order to get to hard to reach areas immediately after typhoon hit the Philippines. Now, access to affected areas has tremendously improved and Philippine forces and humanitarian assistance are reaching more people,” del Rosario said.
“Now as we move from short-term relief to long-term rebuilding, I expressed to the CODEL that the Philippine government is in the process of drafting rehabilitation and reconstruction plans for affected areas. I emphasized the importance of US development assistance dovetailing our reconstruction plans,” he added.
UK aid underscores protection for women, girls
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom also promised to help coordinate a wider international effort for the typhoon victims after its International Development Secretary paid a visit to the Philippines.
"I have visited some of the worst-hit areas and heard from survivors who have lost everything. I have seen how DFID [Department for International Development] and our military are delivering UK aid supplies to the most desperate parts of the Philippines and how our help is getting these people back on their feet," Greening said.
"While we can be proud that UK kits and personnel are making a difference in the immediate term, we will not stop here.”
In the coming months, Greening said the British government will be working with the Philippines in ensuring the protection of women and girls who suffer in the wake of a crisis like Typhoon Yolanda.
Some £3 million has been allocated to ensure women and girls are not disproportionally affected by the crisis, Greening said.
"This will give women access to relief items and documentation, provide psychosocial support and safe spaces for women, help those who have suffered violence get vital care, and provide services to help reunite families," the statement issued by the British government said.
British support for the Philippines—both from government and its citizens—have reached more than P7 billion, including aid flights. For the next six days, these flights will carry vital relief supplies such as 1,130 tents, 22,000 plastic sheets, 3,000 cooking sets, 19,800 buckets, 13,000 synthetic blankets, 4,000 wool blankets, 295 tents and 23,000 tarpaulins.
Some £5 million worth of investments have also been set aside for four cities in the Philippines that will enable these cities to plan for and invest in measures such as "flood protection and drainage systems that will help in the event of future extreme weather events."
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