Sen. Binay urges DFA to seek international support for typhoon relief and rescue missions
Senator Nancy Binay on Sunday appealed to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. to seek the international community’s support for relief and rescue missions for the country which is still reeling from the devastation of typhoons Rolly and Ulysses.

(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Binay said that on Monday she will formally write Locsin to explore the option of asking for foreign aid.
“May (There’s) interest of time. May mga kababayan tayo na asa mga bubong pa nila sa Isabela kaya dapat may (We still have people who are staying at their rooftops in Isabela that’s why there’s) a sense of urgency,” Binay said.
Binay said she hopes the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will act even without a formal request from her office, noting how urgent the situation is for those still stranded in flooded areas.
She also hoped that the DFA would ask the United Nations and members of the international community to lend the Philippines rescue equipment, personnel and air assets critical to disaster response and rescue operations.
Binay recalled that in 2018, the Philippines promulgated the Philippine International Assistance guidelines containing policies on accepting and coordinating international humanitarian assistance.
Under the guidelines, the Philippine International Assistance Cluster (PIHAC) led by the DFA was established and is tasked to be the primary body in coordinating incoming and outgoing international humanitarian assistance.
Under these guidelines, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) shall recommend to the President the issuance of an appeal for international humanitarian assistance.
Both the PIHA Cluster and the NDRRMC response pillar will determine the start and end for the call of international humanitarian assistance.
The lawmaker lamented there was a time the international community would automatically come to the government’s aid during a calamity crisis and the country need not ask for help.
She earlier appealed to the Duterte administration to seek support from the international community in terms of lending the Philippines disaster response support as the country struggles to rescue, feed and shelter typhoon and flood victims.