THE EUROPEAN Commission has allocated €2 million in humanitarian aid for those who have been displaced in conflict-affected zones in parts of Mindanao. “Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes due to continued conflict in the Mindanao region. They left everything behind and are struggling to sustain their day-to-day lives,” Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides said in a statement. “This assistance underlines the EU’s (European Union’s) solidarity with the people of the Philippines. It will ensure that the most vulnerable have sufficient means to get through these difficult times,” he said. The fund is channelled through the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). The EU said latest data available indicate that at least 500,000 people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance in Mindanao. Since the first humanitarian operations in 1996, the EU has allocated over €117 million in emergency assistance to victims of conflict and natural disasters in the Philippines.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR