WFP provides cash to families affected by multiple typhoons in the Philippines
MANILA – In support of the Philippine Government’s response, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) started providing cash assistance last week to communities affected by severe tropical storm Kristine (international name: Trami). This initiative aims to reach 42,000 families with children under 5 registered in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) social assistance programme, in two of the most impacted provinces of the Bicol Region. The cash complements food and non-food items provided by the Government since the onset of the emergency.
“In the aftermath of Kristine, cash assistance serves as a critical lifeline for affected communities to help address some of their most urgent needs – whether food, medicine, or shelter materials. We are working alongside the Philippine Government to support the most impacted communities and by partnering with the DSWD and the 4Ps programme, cash has begun to reach people in a matter of days,” says WFP Philippines Representative and Country Director Regis Chapman.
Tropical Storm Kristine is the 11th cyclone to enter the Philippines this year, causing widespread flooding in Luzon and Visayas, with the Bicol Region most adversely affected. Together with the subsequent typhoons Leon and Merce (international names: Kong-rey and Yinxing, respectively), Kristine affected more than 9 million people causing 150 deaths.
As a key partner of the Philippine Government, WFP was among the first to support the Government response at the onset of the storm. With currently available resources, WFP is initially providing two months of cash (PHP 3,300 or US$57 per month) to 14,500 households with children under 5 in Albay and Camarines Sur provinces. WFP is also supporting the government-led response through logistics and emergency telecommunications support and damage assessments.
“We are grateful for the continued support and partnership with the World Food Programme in our efforts to provide immediate relief to communities affected by severe tropical storm Kristine. Through these cash transfers, we are addressing urgent needs, and by using established social protection mechanisms of the 4Ps, we have been able to deliver assistance quickly and effectively,” says DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
To date, the DSWD has reached more than 526,000 people in the Bicol Region with 105,300 government family food packs with transportation support from WFP. To further ease the last-mile delivery of Government relief items, WFP also supported the installation of two mobile storage units in Albay and Camarines Sur provinces.
To provide critical connectivity needed for search and rescue efforts, the Department of Information and Communications Technology deployed Government Emergency Communications Systems – Mobile Operations Vehicles for Emergency units, co-designed with WFP. WFP also deployed additional VSAT LEO (Very Small Aperture Terminal – Low Earth Orbit) units to enhance data connectivity at evacuation centres.
Since 2006, WFP has been working closely with the Government, donors and partners to augment emergency response operations, enhance disaster risk management capacities and strengthen food and social protection systems.
The Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. For the third consecutive year, the Philippines ranked first worldwide according to World Risk Index 2024 due to its exposure and susceptibility to natural hazards.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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