The Dutch government on Friday announced a grant of 600,000 euros (approximately Php35 million) as a disaster relief fund for the victims of the recent typhoons Rolly (Goni) and Ulysses (Vamco) that wrought havoc in Luzon last month.
“On behalf of The Netherlands’ government, I would like to convey our heartfelt condolences to the people and the Government of the Philippines over the losses of lives, the displacement of families and the widespread damages to property and infrastructure,” Dutch Ambassador to the Philippines Saskia De Lang said in a statement
De Lang said the fund will focus on temporary shelter and repairing damaged houses; Basic needs and support to livelihoods; Disaster Risk Reduction; Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); Health; Protection, gender and inclusion, and in migration, or restoring family links.
The Dutch Embassy said an additional 350,000 euros (approximately Php20.4 million) has been collected by the Netherlands’ Red Cross through a public campaign for funds in favor of the Philippines.
While acknowledging that both the Philippines and the Netherlands are vulnerable to extreme weather as further worsened by climate change, De Lang said her country stands with the Philippines in these difficult times and will “continue to cooperate on climate adaptation, water management, and disaster risk reduction.”
Furthermore, the Netherlands Embassy said both governments have a long-standing partnership to share Dutch water expertise to cope with the multiple water challenges in the Philippines, including coastal protection, land use planning, drinking water management, and the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Management Plan.
The aim of the Dutch-Philippines cooperation, it added, is to “turn vulnerabilities into resilience and sustainable, inclusive development.”