MANILA – The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has pledged USD50,000 (around PHP2.9 million) to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to support its emergency operations in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Carina that enhanced the seasonal southwest monsoon, triggering massive flooding in Metro Manila on Wednesday.
The humanitarian aid would help cover essential assistance and relief to the affected communities.
“The intensified rainfall, floods and landslides caused by the tropical cyclone have a devastating impact on families and communities. We are closely monitoring the situation and are in close communication with the Philippine Red Cross to ensure that our contribution provides the best support to the affected communities,” Singapore Red Cross Secretary General and chief executive officer Benjamin William said on Friday.
The PRC has already deployed its Emergency Response Unit (ERU), which includes specialized teams for search and rescue missions in flooded areas.
The PRC was also pivotal in facilitating evacuation efforts in various flooded areas, including establishing welfare desks in evacuation centers.
Further, the PRC has mobilized essential vehicles and assets, including 6x6 multi-purpose response trucks, which have been deployed to assist residents.
As the situation continues to evolve, the PRC and its local chapters have been placed on alert status for relief operations across the country.
The combined effects of the southwest monsoon, intensified by Super Typhoon Carina, brought heavy to intense rains across the Philippines on Wednesday.
Northern Luzon experienced severe impacts while provinces in Central Luzon faced severe flooding and power outages.
In Metro Manila, the heavy rainfall has caused widespread flooding, with water levels in the Marikina River reaching more than 20 meters.
More than 887,000 individuals have been forced to evacuate their homes and many are without water, electricity and basic services.
Senate spouses
On Friday, actress and model Heart Evangelista, president of the Senate Spouses Foundation Inc. (SSFI), and Ma. Anna Kathryna Yu-Pimentel, Special Envoy to the United Arab Emirates and vice president of SSFI, led a relief distribution at Sto. Niño Elementary School in Marikina City.
Evangelista, wife of Senate President Francis Escudero, distributed essential relief goods to the displaced families.
Marikina was among the hardest hit by Typhoon Carina and the monsoon rains that caused massive flooding.
"We are committed to providing assistance to those in need, especially during times of crisis," Pimentel said in a news release. “Together, we can overcome these challenges and emerge stronger.”
Evangelista and Pimentel were joined by Nancy Dela Rosa and Undersecretary Emmeline Villar, wives of Senator Ronald De La Rosa and Mark Villar, respectively.
Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe also mobilized volunteers to set up a soup kitchen and serve warm bowls of lugaw (porridge) to about 1,500 residents of Barangay 56, Tondo, Manila hit by floods.
They also repacked relief goods to be distributed in target villages in Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan and San Juan cities.
Poe said the work does not stop with giving aid, but in ensuring that flood mitigating infrastructures are working to avert another disastrous incident.
She said government agencies involved in flood control projects will face a hard time in the coming proposed budgets for 2025.
The Department of Budget and Management is expected to submit to Congress its proposed PHP6.352-trillion National Expenditures Program on Monday. (with a report from Leonel Abasola/PNA)
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