ADB extends $20-M grant for Yolanda-hit communities

MANILA, Philippines – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed Thursday, March 13 a $20-million grant to help 70 municipalities affected by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) rebuild their villages and livelihoods.

“We have laid the groundwork to immediately put this assistance to use in cash-for-work programs and restoring crucial infrastructure, such as water systems, solid waste collection, and fuel and power supply,” said Claudia Buentjen, Principal Country Specialist in ADB’s Philippines Country Office.

The grant, which came from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, will also support farmers and fishermen by providing seeds, fertilizers, fishing nets and boats.

The amount is on top of the nearly $1 billion in previous loans and grants that ADB extended to the Philippine government for Yolanda rehabilitation efforts.

Yolanda raked across the central Philippines last November, killing at least 6,200 people with around 2,000 others still missing. It also displaced 4 million and destroyed the livelihoods of tens of thousands of farmers. 

Buentjen said ADB’s new grant will be disbursed to “chosen” communities in smaller amounts ranging from $1 million to $8 million. The beneficiaries will be chosen in collaboration with local officials.

The grant will also be used to repair schools, build skills in masonry, and set up a system to monitor vulnerability to future disasters.

President Benigno Aquino III, who visited ADB headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Thursday, thanked ADB for its help.

“In the aftermath of the storm, the ADB reached out to our government and to the Filipino people—in a sense, clearing paths through the rubble, and showing us where we could pick ourselves up and continue to journey towards inclusive growth,” he said.

“On top of that, you set up an office in Tacloban City to coordinate the use of funds, and to give guidance to our various local governments. Indeed, with this kind of help from your organization—and from the rest of our friends in the international community—affected communities will be back on their own feet in the soonest possible time,” he added. – Rappler.com