The European Union (EU) has released €750,000 (over ₱50 million) in humanitarian aid to support relief efforts for communities affected by recent earthquakes in the Philippines.
In a statement Friday, the Delegation of EU in the Philippines expressed solidarity with families hit by the latest tremor that struck Mindanao Friday morning.
The European Union is closely “monitoring and assessing the situation for possible further assistance to families and communities affected by this new earthquake.”
A large portion of the €750,000 allocation will be directed toward providing emergency relief — including shelter, water, and sanitation — to the most affected populations, particularly those displaced from their homes.
Of this amount, €250,000 (₱16.8 million) will support the Philippine Red Cross in delivering cash assistance, tents, household items, and healthcare services to those most in need. The funds are part of the EU’s contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
This new funding adds to the €7.3 million (₱492.22 million) the EU has already committed this year for humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness in the Philippines, including €1.3 million (₱87.66 million) in response to tropical cyclones that struck the country in July and September.
The humanitarian assistance is coursed through European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), which coordinates EU relief operations worldwide.
With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters around the world every year, providing assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs, the EU noted.
EU is also a signatory to a €12 million (over ₱809 million) agreement with IFRC to support the DREF mechanism, which provides fast-track funding for immediate disaster response.
More information on the EU’s humanitarian assistance is available at https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/index_en and https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/asia-and-pacific/philippines_en.