SAN SIMON, Pampanga—“Europeans are a compassionate and caring people.”
Thus said European Union (EU) Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux on Tuesday as he led a delegation to ensure the success of the humanitarian aid projects in the flood-stricken villages of four Pampanga towns and one in nearby Bulacan province. He gave the statement after being asked by the BusinessMirror why the EU has managed to help despite the economic crisis plaguing some of the 27 states in Europe affiliated with the union.
Ledoux was accompanied by Heikki Hannikainen, Finland ambassador to the Philippines, to personally express their solidarity with local residents.
The EU, through the CARE Nederland Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor for the Philippines, gave P12 million (€200,000) worth of lifesaving emergency response assistance to 10,000 households affected by the recent typhoons. The aid was in the form of food-for-work program, allowing the beneficiaries clearing the clogged waterways to have food relief packs.
Ledoux and Hannikainen joined residents and barangay officials in cleaning the river channel in Sta. Monica clogged with water hyacinths, also known as water lilies.
“Our visit to Pampanga is an expression of Europe’s solidarity and support for the vulnerable families affected by recent typhoons in Central Luzon and reaffirmation of our commitment to continue to provide quick humanitarian aid to those affected by natural disasters,” said Ledoux. He disclosed that since 1998, at least 30 towns and cities in the country benefited from the EU’s assistance amounting to €7 million.
The EU focused its assistance on emergency livelihood, health and waste management and hygiene promotion.
San Simon Mayor Leonora Wong expressed deep gratitude to the EU delegation. The towns of San Luis, Masantol and Sta. Ana also benefited from the project.
Bulacan’s Calumpit town, one of the hardest hit areas in the Central Luzon province by Typhoon Pedring, is benefiting from the EU project.
“Severe flooding in the Pampanga river basin is not only due to the extreme weather events associated with climate change. Risk is worsened by the degradation of the ecosystems in and around the Pampanga river basin,” said Celso Dulce Jr. of CARE.
The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO), one of the largest humanitarian donors in the world, in 2009 allocated 22 percent of the European Commission’s total humanitarian budget of almost €1 billion to the Asia and Pacific region.
Mathias Eick, regional officer of the ECHO based in Thailand, also joined the delegation. He stressed that their assistance “has always been apolitical.”
