Philippine Red Cross | Humanitarian Organization in the Philippines

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will send Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) to areas affected by the series of earthquakes particularly in two of the hardest-hit provinces, North Cotabato and Davao del Sur.

“This mission will be headed by Red Cross Youth (RCY) staff to help thousands of displaced students to ensure the continuity of education after their schools were damaged by temblors while other learning facilities are now being utilized as temporary evacuation centers,” PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said.

A total of 10 TLS will be initially deployed or 5 tents each for North Cotabato and Davao del Sur. Each tent can accommodate 40 to 50 students. These tents are expected to arrive in their designated locations by Monday, November 18.

“A lot of school buildings aren’t safe yet after they sustained damages and large cracks due to strong aftershocks since October 16. Aside from food, medicine and water, more children are also in need of education which is their right,” Gordon added.

Almost a month after the series of earthquakes hit several parts of Mindanao, over 1,000 schools were damaged based on data provided by the Department of Education (DEPED).

Classes at all levels in three regions – Regions 11, 12 and BARMM – remain suspended.

Gordon also extended his gratitude to PRC’s operation partners and donors – the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Embassy of Republic of Korea, San Miguel Food Corporation, Nickel Asia Corporation, Filminera Resources Corporation, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, Thome Ship Management (TSM) Group and Ramon Tulfo Good Samaritan Foundation Incorporated.

As of November 13, PRC has mobilized 569 volunteers, staff and Red Cross Youth, providing first aid to 81 individuals in 8 First Aid stations in Kidapawan City, Davao del Sur and General Santos City, distributing food items to 1,122 families in Davao Del Sur and North Cotabato.

Eighteen temporary shower facilities were installed in the Municipality of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur which are now being utilized by the affected families as part of PRC’s commitment to promote hygiene and sanitation whenever a calamity or disaster hits.

A total of 1,004,208 liters of water were distributed by PRC – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion (WASH) to 5,690 families or 22,097 individuals in Davao del Sur and North Cotabato. The WASH unit also conducted hygiene promotion to 6,163 individuals, installed 40 portable toilets, and established 19 water collecting points also in Davao del Sur and North Cotabato.

Gordon gave his assurance that the PRC will install an additional 20 portalets especially in remote areas and will setup Basic Health Care Units to address health problems in Kidapawan City and other affected areas.

PRC distributed hot meals to 9,482 families in North Cotabato (6,860) and Davao Del Sur (2,622), administered psychosocial support to 3,338 individuals including child friendly spaces to 1,198 individuals in North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Davao Del Sur, General Santos and Sultan Kudarat.

PRC also deployed 20 water bladders from General Santos-Saranggani, Davao City, Leyte, Cebu, Agusan del Sur; 5 water tankers and 3 water treatment units to North Cotabato and Davao del Sur; 8 ambulances from National Headquarters, South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Davao del Sur and Zamboanga Del Norte chapters and 2 additional mobile kitchens from Bacolod and Iloilo.

The PRC will create a community kitchen kiosk per evacuation center so that evacuees will not need to cook inside their tents, thereby avoiding a fire hazard.

Since October 16, more than 30,687 families or 153,435 individuals in 15 municipalities and cities, in 7 provinces have been affected by the series of earthquakes.

More than 10,684 families or 42,736 individuals are taking temporary shelter in 64 evacuation centers, 39 in Davao del Sur (5,980 families or 23,920 individuals) and 25 in North Cotabato (4,766 families or 18,816 individuals).

PRC uses resources provided by generous donors for these activities. The public can help PRC replenish these resources by donating through the following avenues:

BDO

Peso Savings: 00-453-0190938

Dollar Savings: 10-453-0039482

Swift Code: BNORPHMM

BPI

Peso Savings: 4991-0036-52

Swift Code: BOPIPHMM

Metrobank

Peso Savings: 151-7-151524342

Dollar Savings: 151-2-151002182

Swift Code: MBTCPHMM

Paypal

donate@redcross.org.ph

Six years since the catastrophic Typhoon Haiyan (locally named Yolanda) struck several parts of Visayas, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) continues to support the longer-term recovery of communities.

“The PRC was among the first responders on the ground. Ceaseless efforts were made in reaching inaccessible areas to not only provide relief items, but also clearing pathways and main road networks from debris. Psychosocial support was also provided to ensure the overall health and well-being of the affected communities. During the first three months, families were provided with essential items such as hygiene kits, jerry cans, and sleeping kits,” PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said.

“We are recognized as one of the best Red Cross societies in the world because in Haiyan, we demonstrated that we could gather aid from almost all the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies worldwide and distribute them into different provinces. The Haiyan experience reinforced the Red Cross as a go-to organization and the preferred partner of choice since PRC was able to get the job done,” Gordon added.

Since November 8, 2013 until March 30, 2014, PRC distributed food items to 390,399 families or 1,951,995 individuals. Non-food items such as plastic mats, sleeping items, water containers tarpaulins and kitchens were also distributed to 258,972 families.

More than 80,207 houses were built by PRC together with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners in Leyte including Ormoc City, Western and Eastern Samar, Cebu, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, and Palawan.

“We must learn from Yolanda. Dapat walang bahay sa shoreline, dapat lahat ng building nasa tamang lugar, wala sa fault line. Dapat alam ng mga tao kung anong gagawin kapag may kalamidad, ano dapat na aksyon upang hindi na maulit ang ganitong trahedya.,” Gordon reminded.

Of the 80,207 houses built through the efforts of Red Cross, Chairman Gordon is very proud of the fact that, “PRC was the only organization to be able to build houses which were accounted for, donors can see where their houses are, who lives in there. We can produce a list.” Cash Livelihood Assistance was also granted to 62,676 households while livelihood trainings were provided to 15,985 individuals.

PRC is also the first to build schools and provide WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) facilities to 116 schools. Through the combined efforts of PRC and its network of partners, 1,168 Community-based WASH Facilities were constructed and a Vocational Training Center in Leyte was put up together with a \ Disaster Management Logistics Training Center in the Panay Island. As for the health sector, 94 health facilities underwent rehabilitation while 64,650 individuals underwent training for health promotions.

The PRC also provided cash assistance to more than 90,779 families in the early recovery program and a total of Php 281,529,400 was distributed from December 2013 to March 2014. PRC chapters and branches in Capiz and Passi City in Iloilo were reconstructed and rehabilitated as part of the capacity enhancement of PRC, while blood facilities in Tacloban, Ormoc and Passi City were erected to further respond to the increasing need for clean and safe blood within the region.

These achievements could not have been possible without PRC’s operation partners – the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Committee of the Red Cross, American Red Cross, Australian Red Cross, Austrian Red Cross, Bahrain Red Crescent, British Red Cross, Belgian Red Cross (Flanders), Canadian Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross, French Red Cross, German Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross, Korean National Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross, Norwegian Red Cross, Singapore Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross, Swiss Red Cross, Swedish Red Cross, Hong Kong Red Cross, Macau Red Cross Branch of Chinese Red Cross Society, Taiwan Red Cross, CUBE LTD, HSBC, Sutherlands Philippines, AIR ASIA and Citibank, Australian Aid, ECHO, Royal Charity Organization of Bahrain, and Emirates Red Crescent Authority.