Manila, 5 August 2022 (TDI): The victims of the earthquake that devastated North Luzon on July 27 will get assistance from the European Union (EU) with an amount of EUR 800,000 (PhP 45.27 million) in emergency money.

Numerous residences and buildings, including hospitals and schools, have sustained significant damage as a result of the earthquake. The quake also claimed many human lives and a huge number of individuals got injured too.

The country’s most populous island, northern Luzon, was rocked by the earthquake, which caused buildings to collapse, triggered landslides, and generated thousands of aftershocks.

The epicentre of the earthquake was around 13 kilometres southeast of the small town of Dolores. Even the capital of Manila, located more than 400 kilometres away, was affected.

The financing is intended to give the most vulnerable people in the most severely affected areas with access to clean water and sanitation, hygiene, mental health and psychosocial support services, as well as education. The EU will continuously assess and monitor needs.

The EU has also initiated a programme named “Copernicus” focused at developing European information services based on satellite Earth Observation and in situ (non-space) data.

Arlynn Aquino’s Remarks

Arlynn Aquino, who oversees EU humanitarian programmes in the Philippines, said “thousands of people have lost their homes and livelihoods, and traumatised families have been forced to stay in tents and makeshift structures due to successive aftershocks.”

She also said that “together with our humanitarian partners already on the ground, we are making sure that urgent assistance reaches those most in need as soon as possible.”