US to provide additional $1-M humanitarian aid in wake of Pepito

The United States will provide additional $1 million funding for humanitarian response in the Philippines after Typhoon Pepito wrecked havoc in Luzon islands over the weekend, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III said Monday.

Austin is currently in the Philippines for an official trip where he also graced the groundbreaking of the Combined Coordination Center in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City that will enhance the interoperability between the US and Philippine military forces.

“At today’s groundbreaking, I also announced that the U.S. will provide $1 million in additional funding for the Philippines in the face of the 6th major storm in the last two months. Our military is ready to provide lifesaving assistance to help surge aid to the Philippine people,” said Austin in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

At today’s groundbreaking, I also announced that the U.S. will provide $1 million in additional funding for the Philippines in the face of the 6th major storm in the last two months. Our military is ready to provide lifesaving assistance to help surge aid to the Philippine…

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) November 18, 2024

“This new assistance will add to the $5.5M in aid already provided to the Philippines through USAID since September. We also previously helped deliver almost 100,000 pounds in assistance to impacted areas. We’ll continue to stand with the Philippines during this time,” he added.

Austin also paid a courtesy call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacañang where the latter noted how EDCA sites helped in the government's disaster response during the recent storms.

“We were able to do a better job than we would have done otherwise because of the EDCA sites,” said Marcos.

“And the EDCA sites became staging areas because right after the storm, many areas can only be reached by helicopter, and many roads were closed because of landslides.”

Meanwhile, the US official offered condolences to the victims of the typhoons.

“Let me offer our condolences, thoughts, and prayers to all those who’ve been disadvantaged by these six significant storms that have taken place in a very short period of time,” said Austin.

With the additional assistance from the US government, the two countries are seeking to continue ties in the coming years.

“So our work together in the past, especially the past four years, has enabled our alliance to grow stronger and better, Mr. President,” said Austin.

“You mentioned the EDCA sites, that was your vision a while back, that these sites could be used to do exactly what you have described - prepositioning supplies and food and other critical elements in times of urgent needs. It would enable us to serve the Filipino people much faster and more efficiently,” he added. “That your vision has come true and so we are glad that we played a part in that.”

He and his Philippine counterpart Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also signed earlier in the day the General Security of Military Information Agreement which will serve as a framework to facilitate the exchange of classified military information between the two countries.

Pepito is the 15th storm to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility this year as four tropical cyclones churned simultaneously in the western Pacific Ocean in November.

Government data showed that 1,145,942 individuals or  295, 576 families were affected by tropical cyclones Nika, Ofel, and Pepito in six regions. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News