ANGARA LAUDS EU, GERMANY ANTI-DISASTER GRANT TO RP

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today expressed his appreciation to the European Union and the German Government for extending EUR 2.3 Million worth of disaster risk reduction funds for 12 provinces in the country.

"We are very thankful. This is a very generous and very timely grant from our friends in the EU and Germany. It affirms the ties between the Philippine and the EU governments, and shows how these can translate to benefits for the Filipino people," said Angara.

The EU has granted the Philippine government EUR 2.1 Million (P 125 M) for seven disaster risk reduction projects in the country. The German government gave around EUR 200,000 (P 12 M) through the Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, one of Germany's major humanitarian aid agencies, to fund a disaster prevention projects of 12 Philippine provinces.

Angara stressed that "this signifies greater cooperation in local and international cooperation in enhancing disaster prevention and mitigation initiatives, particularly in light of the catastrophic effects of climate change."

The German government has recently concluded similar project since April 2009 implemented in the country's eastern provinces deemed most vulnerable to typhoons. These provinces are Aurora, Agusan del Norte, Bicol, Surigao del Sur and Norte, Northern and Eastern Samar, Quezon, Quirino, and Isabela.

Angara lauded the EU's long-standing support in global disaster risk reduction efforts by helping government agencies, non-government organizations, and local communities take measures to better prepare and cope with natural disasters.

"Government must ensure that these aid grants will be maximized and be taken as another significant step for our country to continuously make contributions to the global efforts in combating climate change and improving disaster preparedness, especially in the developing world," Angara said.

Last Congress, Angara initiated a Disaster Management Training Center which will be established in Baler, Aurora. The center will develop plans and programs aimed at reducing social, environmental and institutional vulnerability and promoting sustainable human development.

The Aurora DMTC will operate as a model in capacity building and institutional development of local officials, policy makers, professionals and academic organizations and individuals in a multidisciplinary approach to Disaster Risk Management (DRM).

He added, "Through ADMTC we can better protect lives and properties from future disasters by enhancing and developing human, technical, and institutional capacity through training and staff development of the wide range of stakeholders and actors working on disaster risk reduction."