ADB OKs $2M grant to support Philippine gov’t’s Odette relief efforts

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Wednesday it has approved a $2-million grant to support the Philippine government’s emergency response following the onslaught of Typhoon Odette, the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the country in 2021.

In a statement, the Manila-based multilateral lender said the grant is under its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund.

The grant will provide humanitarian assistance to about 15,000 households, or about 75,000 people, in Visayas and Mindanao severely affected by the December 16, 2021 typhoon, according to the ADB.

The lender added that the grant will also fund food vouchers to be distributed to target communities, which beneficiaries can exchange for food in selected markets.

The grant, likewise, 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,” said ADB director general for Southeast Asia Ramesh Subramaniam.

“This assistance will help finance the humanitarian needs of those residents, especially people living in remote areas,” added Subramaniam.

The ADB said it is partnering with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver the food assistance and builds on WFP’s ongoing work with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide emergency relief to typhoon-hit areas.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) estimated the typhoon caused P24.6 billion or nearly $500 million in damage to crops, public infrastructure, and private property, according to the ADB.

It added that several areas remain blocked by collapsed roads and bridges, and with power supply yet to be fully restored.

The ADB said the 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 28 January 2022, it said.

In December 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of calamity for a year in the six regions to accelerate the rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts.—AOL, GMA News