ULAN joins relief effort for Yolanda victims By Arvin Antonio Ortiz The University of Mindanao Legal Aid

Network (ULAN) joined other organizations, rivate and !"li#, lo#al and foreign, in gathering aid for the vi#ti$s of %! er Ty hoon &aiyan, lo#ally known as 'olanda( Many see the devastation wro!ght "y 'olanda as a gri$ re$inder not only of the irreversi"le effe#ts of the #ontin!ing negle#t of the environ$ent( B!t it also e) oses how v!lnera"le and in#a a"le a develo ing nation like the *hili ines is in handling the effe#ts of nat!ral #ala$ities as devastating as 'olanda( +The devastation is #olossal,, said Naderve +'e", %ano, the *hili ines UN -e resentative, at the o ening session of the UN #li$ate #hange s!$$it in .arsaw, *oland( 'et in every disaster, an o ort!nity will resent itself like a flower fro$ the r!""le(

/n the after$ath of the disaster, aid #o$ing fro$ the rivate and !"li# se#tor and fro$ the international #o$$!nity o!red in, whether they are in the for$ of #ash ledges, $edi#al $issions, res#!e o erations, feeding rogra$s, relief distri"!tions, et#( A##ording to the latest #o!nt "y the 0oreign Aid Trans aren#y &!" (www(gov( h1faith), a we"site r!n "y the 2overn$ent of the *hili ines that tra#ks the a$o!nt of foreign aid for the 'olanda vi#ti$s, the total foreign aid ledged is now *&* 34,566,578,699(99 (U%: 46;,<<4,999(99), of whi#h *&* =,4;8,77=,699(99 (U%: 369,754,<99(99) is #ash, and *&* ;,;8<,=67,999(99 (U%: 39<,856,799(99) is non>#ash( On Nove$"er 34, 493<, ULAN also started its own relief o eration for the vi#ti$s of 'olanda( .ithin five days, it was a"le to gather "ottled waters, easy>to>o en #anned goods, o!#hed food, $edi#ine, #lothes, sli ers, and other ne#essities( The goods donated were delivered to the %o!thern Mindanao %tation of AB%>?BN %agi @a a$ilya at %hrine &ills, Matina, :avao ?ity( The initiative only served to $anifest ULANAs #o$$it$ent and readiness to res ond to the #all of the ti$es(