AHA Centre Commits Support to Typhoon Ompong Victims

From left: Ms. Anna Gabrielle C. Estimada of Office of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns, Mr. Martin Aguda of ASEAN-Emergency Rapid Assessment Team, Mr. Arnel Capili of AHA Centre, Assistant Secretary Junever M. Mahilum-West, Director Aian Caringal and Ms. Sherlyn Roxas of DFA-ASEAN.

MANILA 29 September 2018 – ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management’s (AHA Centre) Director of Operations Arnel Capili, accompanied by Mr. Martin Aguda of the ASEAN-Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT), paid a courtesy visit to the ASEAN-Philippines National Secretariat Director-General and Office of ASEAN Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever M. Mahilum-West on 21 September 2018 to discuss AHA Centre’s offer of support to the victims of Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut).

Mr. Capili offered assistance in the form of procurement of rice supplies and non-food items such as generators, water filtration units, and tarpaulin sheets for temporary roofing. Assistance on the deployment of an ASEAN-ERAT to help conduct assessment of the scale, severity, and impact of Typhoon Ompong and the needs of the communities in the affected areas, and provision of arrangements to have a standby aircraft from the Royal Malaysian Airforce for possible support for search and rescue operations were also discussed.

The Department of Foreign Affairs thanked and welcomed AHA Centre’s offer of support. The AHA Centre said that it will continue to coordinate closely with the Office of Civil Defense..

AHA Centre is an inter-governmental organization which aims to facilitate cooperation and coordination among ASEAN Member States and with the United Nations and international organizations for disaster management and emergency response in ASEAN region. In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and during the Marawi crisis in 2017, the AHA Centre provided relief assistance for the Philippines. END