THE government officially put up a depot facility for goods and equipment that will manage and use jointly with other Asean members as the regional bloc agreed to respond to disasters as a single body.
The warehouse, which will stockpile emergency relief items and other logistical requirements, was put up at the compound of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Logistics Command in Quezon City.
The facility was inaugurated on Monday by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Asean officials. It is meant to ensure the timely provision of assistance to disaster-stricken areas, both in the country and in other Asean members.
The warehouse will be jointly managed by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre). It was supported by the government of Japan through the Japan-Asean Integration Fund (JAIF).
Executive Director Ricardo Jalad of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), who is also OCD administrator, said the facility forms part of the network of Asean satellite warehouses across the region.
The other satellite warehouse, recently launched during the 34th Asean Summit, is located in Chainat, Thailand.
The Department of National Defense (DND) provided the location for the warehouse in Camp Aguinaldo, converting a portion of the AFP Logcom depot for the store room.
“The venue to store such goods must be strong to withstand nature’s wrath, readily accessible to our disaster managers and responders, and allow the effective storage, as well as quick and easy bulk transport of these items to locations where they are most needed. The spot provided by the DND is helpful for this purpose,” Jalad said.
The inauguration was graced by Thailand’s Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Vasin Ruangprateepsaeng, Counsellor and Vice Consul of the Royal Thai Embassy Rathanand Vichaidit; Minister Makoto Iyori and Second Secretary Shintaro Ichichiri of the Embassy of Japan; AHA Centre Executive Director Adelina Kamal and Deputy Executive Director Arnel Capili.
It was also attended by representatives of the World Food Programme, USAID, EU and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Activities, and representatives from embassies of Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Australia, Russia, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.