“The Philippines is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including sea level rise, increased frequency of extreme weather events, rising temperatures and heavy rainfalls, which account for significant losses,” Duterte said in Executive Order 137.
The President said “there is a need to accelerate and harmonize aid and humanitarian assistance provided by the national government to the most affected and vulnerable sectors and communities.” To this end, Duterte institutionalized the “Aid and Humanitarian Operations Nationwide” Convergence program “as a platform for an enhanced and unified delivery of social amelioration services.”Duterte also created the AHON Committee, one task of which would be to “ensure the efficient and coordinated” provision of aid “through enhanced mobilization and interagency coordination of national government agencies and task forces.
He tasked the committee to set up “a unified Convergence Information System” containing a database of AHON beneficiaries. Last week, Duterte declared a nationwide state of calamity over outbreaks of the African swine fever, which has affected local pork supply. The Philippines is currently under a state of public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About 20 storms lash the Philippines every year, wiping out harvests and destroying houses. The country is also prone to earthquakes because it straddles the "Ring of Fire," a belt of volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean.
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