WFP Philippines boosts logistics to assist Government during pandemic
The World Food Programme is at hand to assist country already reeling from a spate of extreme weather events
On top of coronavirus, the Philippines is suffering climate shock after climate shock — earthquakes on the island of Mindanao last October, typhoon Tisoy in December, Typhoon Ambo in May. To add to woes, in January the Taal Volcano erupted.
The World Food Programme, the world’s biggest humanitarian organization responding to hunger around the world, has been at hand, providing assistance to the Government at every turn.
Now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, WFP is strongly committed to supporting the Government with its unique logistics expertise. Within the past four months, when most parts of the country were placed under community quarantine, WFP responded to numerous requests of support from various national, regional, provincial, and city government agencies to provide transport and logistics equipment.
WFP has dispatched and delivered over 70 truckloads of cargo to date. Among the agencies and institutions WFP has assisted were the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Social Welfare and Development — National Resource Operations Center (DSWD-NROC), Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao — Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence (BARMM READi), Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) in BARMM, and Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC).
Geographically, WFP has covered the provinces of Cebu and Iloilo, and the regions of Metro Manila, the Cordilleras, Region XII (Central Mindanao), and BARMM.
March 2020
WFP has provided transport to move 527 metric tons of rice from the National Food Authority (NFA) in Manila to the DSWD-NROC food packing assembly line in Pasay City. The quick delivery of rice enabled NROC to continuously produce Family Food Packs (FFPs), which were distributed throughout the country. Meanwhile, one 50 KVA generator set and mobile storage unit (MSU) was loaned to Cotabato Regional and Medical Centre in Central Mindanao for their temporary hospital.
April 2020
WFP has moved a total of 300 metric tons of rice from the NFA warehouse in Cebu City to the DSWD-NROC and the DSWD-Visayas Disaster Response Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City. Furthermore, the MSSD in BARMM was provided with one MSU, 150 pallets, and a 14 KVA- generator for the Ministry’s Regional Office. WFP had also set up one MSU and an ablution unit together to serve as an improvised isolation facility for suspected cases of COVID-19 in Pila, Laguna.
May 2020
READi BARMM established a warehouse for rice storage with the help of one MSU and 140 pallets from WFP. As requested by the MSSD BARMM, an additional 300 pallets were provided to support their ongoing COVID-19 response operations. WFP also fulfilled BARMM’s request to temporarily store 2800 mts of rice in the WFP-managed Polloc Warehouse. The food has been stored in the facility prior to distribution to families. Meanwhile, in Metro Manila, WFP supported the OCD Procurement Management Division to deliver 1.3 mts of frozen fish for frontliners in 23 hospitals around Metro Manila.
June 2020
WFP completed the transport of hygiene and cleaning items donated by UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, to the Department of Health from Metro Manila to the provinces of Cebu and Iloilo.
WFP has been able to respond quickly to the above-mentioned agencies as a result of equipment having been prepositioned in WFP managed warehouses in Polloc and Pampanga.
As the lead of the International Humanitarian Logistics Cluster, WFP also assists other partner organizations like the World Health Organization and UNICEF, local NGOs, and the private sector with logistics coordination and support.
WFP also actively took part in the drafting of the COVID-19 National Response Plan, particularly its logistics section. Throughout the COVID-19 situation monitoring, WFP has also been releasing regular logistics updates that include information on customs and clearance procedures, transport restrictions, commercial flight details, and other import logistics information, which partners find useful in this extraordinary time. Over 60 updates have been shared to date.
WFP’s commitment to support the Government of the Philippines, especially on logistics and disaster response, remains stronger than ever amid the pandemic.
WFP is building on methods to share its institutional knowledge, experience, and best practices for the Government’s capacity strengthening initiatives to enable them to prepare better and recover quicker in any crisis. Those include design and implementation of logistics training as well as contributions to Government policies and policy development. WFP is also collecting baseline data on the existing logistics infrastructure within the country which will be used to plan for and respond to future emergencies.
Co-written with Kevin Howley, Head of Supply Chain, WFP Philippines, and Katrina Mae Lerios, Programme Associate for Reports
