Attachments
IFRC secretariat funding requirement: 20 million Swiss francs
Federation-wide funding requirement: 26 million Swiss francs
OPERATIONAL STRATEGY REVISION
Damage to homes and infrastructure from the typhoon has proven considerably more extensive than had been assessed during the initial emergency stages of the disaster. As of 28 March, a total of 2,103,010 houses were assessed to have been damaged, including 409,491 that were severely damaged. In response to the urgent need by those affected, PRC will provide shelter to a total of 29,000 households, including 11,250 families supported through funds from IFRC. The amount allocated to shelter, housing and settlements has, in this revision, increased by 252,000 Swiss francs, from 7,543,000, for a total of 7,795,000 Swiss francs.
By 28 March, the number of families affected by the typhoon had then risen to 3,187,718 (11,919,342 persons), and figures continue to rise. And in the target areas, the most vulnerable households still lack access to daily necessities. In the original appeal, 779,000 Swiss francs were allocated to multi-purpose cash assistance, but in order to address this need, the allocation has now been increased by 295,564, to 1,074,564 Swiss francs. During the initial cash distributions, households were provided with 3,500 Philippine pesos (PHP) (63 Swiss francs). But this has now been increased to 5,000 Philippine pesos (90 Swiss francs) for 5,000 households (25,000 people), to ensure full compliance with minimum standards.
There have been reductions in the funding allocations to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), as well as to health and care, as the needs in these areas have to some extent been addressed or are being attended to by other actors. Much of the initially displaced population has now also moved out of evacuation centres, and by 28 March there were 2,542 families, or 9,403 persons, taking temporary shelter in 247 evacuation centres. The need for WASH and health activities in evacuation centres is therefore significantly reduced.
a. Coordination
The current changes in the operational strategy are strongly influenced by coordination among actors operating in the field and PRC activities have been presented at Shelter Cluster meetings led by IFRC together with 4w findings. There are also ongoing discussions on the overall shelter response strategy and on the details of implementation, such as estimated needs for each part of the assistance. The decision to shift some resources from health and WASH to shelter is based on changed prioritization of needs and on coordination of assistance provided by other actors.
The overall national response to the emergency remains greatly under-funded as well, exacerbating the need for emergency shelter. While, as part of the increased emphasis on emergency shelter assistance (ESA), the operation strives to maintain a fully integrated approach through complementary action by local and national authorities as well as Movement partners and other humanitarian actors.
b. Prioritization and rationale
In response to changing needs on the ground after this typhoon, corresponding adjustments of operational priorities are being made. Although the final results of PRC's detailed assessment at end of March 2022 have not been released yet, the current revision of the IFRC Operational Strategy is informed by reports published by relevant authorities and organizations, as well as by information gathered through field observations and continuous consultation by PRC with beneficiaries and local Red Cross staff and volunteers. The strong emphasis on ESA in this revision is the result of PRC's analysis of initial assessment data, secondary data, and collaboration with local government units (LGUs).
While the detailed assessment can be expected to inform later stages of the process, the changes in emergency response priorities reflected in this revised Operational Strategy have largely been implemented or are still ongoing. Ultimately, the assessment is mainly expected to inform both early recovery and recovery stages of the operation, while the appeal is 39 per cent funded to date (and there is a risk that it will not receive large additional amounts, requiring later revisions).
c. Taking an integrated approach
In the affected areas there is high demand for skilled workers now, after the typhoon, which has implications for the cost and quality of labour. To ensure durable reconstruction and quality repairs, meanwhile, carpenters are now being invited to Build Back Safer (BBS) orientations. And those who will be hired for shelter repair assistance and full shelter assistance will receive additional training. A robust BBS and technical assistance package are thus being developed with the aim of reaching both recipients of Red Cross assistance and the greater community, to enable them to make informed decisions on their repair and reconstruction investment.