TACLOBAN CITY, July 16 (PNA) — Canadian Ambassador Neil Reeder was pleased with how recovery efforts are doing in typhoon-affected communities as he cited that the Philippine government is “doing its very best in difficult circumstances.”
He said that feedback from people who have worked in humanitarian crisis revealed that “the bounce back in the Philippines has been quicker than some other humanitarian situations.”
“I give credit to the Philippine government and also to the people that at this point six months after the crisis, the stage that we’re in is much better than other countries that have suffered trauma like this in the past,” he said during an interaction with members of the press and international nongovernment organizations (iNGOs) here Monday.
The Canadian government is one of the country’s top donors in the ongoing rehabilitation efforts in Yolanda-affected communities.
A CAD 5 million in humanitarian assistance funding was released immediately after the typhoon struck in November 8 last year.
The envoy disclosed that the Canadian government and its people donated a total of CAD 170 million to include two tranches of CAD 85 million.
A briefer from the Canadian Embassy public affairs office disclosed that CAD 85 million was raised by individual Canadians and matched with similar amount by its government.
Of the fund to be matched CAD 15 million was initially disbursed to Canada’s humanitarian partners for emergency relief activities in November last year, CAD 50 million was allocated to recovery efforts and released to experienced and trusted Canadian partners while CAD 20.59 million will be for long-term reconstruction and disaster risk reduction activities.
“Part of the learning process is to be ready for the next time. We have to work on disaster preparedness so that we are better prepared for the next crisis,” he stated.
Reeder and Canadian senator Tobias Enverga Jr visited Tacloban City on Monday where they met iNGOs that are doing humanitarian activities in typhoon-hit areas using fund donations from Canada and visited survivors and places where recovery efforts are going on.
