1.7M Uwan-hit children face risk

MORE than 1.7 million Filipino children were battered by Super Typhoon Fung-wong (local name: Uwan), which now face heightened risks of respiratory disease, malnutrition, and disrupted learning, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.

In a statement on Nov. 14, UNICEF said Uwan has wreaked havoc to children’s homes, schools, and access to health services across 16 regions, that is already exhausted by multiple climate-related and geophysical shocks this year.

“Children and their families are barely climbing out of one crisis before another strikes, pushing them back to zero,” UNICEF Philippines Representative Kyungsun Kim said.

“As the world experiences more frequent and intense climate shocks, the most vulnerable children should not have to pay the highest price.”

Typhoon Uwan, the strongest to hit the Philippines in 2025, affected over 5.17 million people, according to government figures.

UNICEF also said homes, schools, and health centers have been damaged or destroyed, forcing families into crowded evacuation centers.

More than 15,000 classrooms have sustained damages to varying degrees, and over 900 public schools are now being used as evacuation centers.

“Joint assessments with the Philippine government and partners are underway to determine urgent needs in water, sanitation, hygiene, health, nutrition, education, protection, and social protection,” it said.

UNICEF said it’s mobilizing emergency supplies from warehouses in Manila and Cotabato to speed aid delivery to families hit by the crisis.

It will also deliver emergency nutrition supplies — including Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, therapeutic milk, and breastfeeding kits, to ensure children with malnutrition continue to receive treatment.

The Philippines kept its title as the world’s most disaster-prone nation for a 21st straight year ahead of 192 other nations, according to the 2025 World Risk Index. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante