by FFE PH News Staff

UN renews its call for donations to help rebuild quake-devastated Bohol.

Yesterday, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) issued a statement asking more donor support of around Php885m ($19m) that will be used to address additional humanitarian needs in Bohol until April.

The Php885m will be enough to fill the funding gap for the UN’s revised action plan worth $33.8m. Originally, the action plan was worth $46.8 but was downgraded after consultation with the government and as humanitarian work has shifted to recovery.

Bohol was hit by a 7.2-magnitute earthquake last 13 October 2013. According to estimates by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the total cost of damages is at Php2.257b. Donors had already initially raised Php680m for the initial action plan that covers recovery programmes by the UN.

UN resident humanitarian co-ordinator Luiza Carvalho said that as the UN appeals for more aid for Bohol it will continue to do parallel work in other devastated areas, especially those affected by typhoon Yolanda.

Unocha meanwhile explained that although the typhoon did not damage Bohol as much as other areas in the Visayas, Bohol still needed attention since humanitarian efforts were shifted from the province to address the needs of areas hit by the typhoon.

Housing is the UN’s top priority in Bohol. Unocha said ‘People move frequently between their damaged homes and tents — depending on aftershocks and weather events. Landslides and aftershocks push them out of the house and into the tents, while flooding and heavy rains drive them back into unsafe homes.’

The group aims to start building more durable shelters since aftershocks continue to rock the province. Classrooms are their second priority as most classes are being conducted in makeshift structures.