Introduction
Located along the typhoon belt and the Ring of Fire in the Pacific, the Philippines is highly exposed to various natural disasters, including typhoons, flooding, landslides, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. These events often result in significant losses of lives and livelihoods whilst causing many people to lose their homes. Armed conflict between the government and armed groups in the southernmost island of Mindanao also contributes to the displacement of families and further increases humanitarian needs.
What are the needs?
Although the Philippines has well-developed crisis management capacities, the incessant occurrence of strong cyclones and storms, many times back-to-back, has often put a heavy strain on local resources. Around 20 typhoons hit the country every year, many of them destructive. The deadliest one so far has been typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) in November 2013. Most recently, typhoon Tembin (locally known as Vinta) struck the southern part of the Philippines on the night of 22 December 2017. It left behind a trail of destruction in at least 23 provinces across the southernmost island of Mindanao, including communities which were already displaced by the ongoing conflict in the region.
In late 2016, three powerful storms – typhoons Meranti, Sarika and Haima (locally known as Ferdie, Karen and Lawin) caused large-scale devastation across northern Luzon, leaving more than one million people affected. In mid-December 2015, typhoon Melor (locally called Nona) wreaked havoc in central parts of the island nation. Sporadic outbursts of violence between armed groups and the Philippine government in Mindanao regularly trigger displacements of communities in the southern part of the country. The Mindanao conflict, classified by European Commission as a ‘forgotten crisis’ has caused the displacement of close to a million people since 2012, including some 467 000 in the aftermath of the Marawi crisis in mid-2017, when clashes between an armed group and the Philippines Armed Forces caused the entire population in the city to flee. These large-scale forced displacements have inevitably increased humanitarian needs.