Approximately one-third of The Philippine’s
93.6 million residents work in agriculture, while 66 percent live in urban
areas. The Philippines is making improvements on undernourishment throughout
the population, but malnutrition figures in children must be bettered; they
currently register at 28 percent in the underweight category and at 30 percent
for stunting.
FAO's main in-country programmes
Emergency
Prevention System for Transboundary Animals and Plant Pests and Diseases
(EMPRES) Animal Health Component
The
Philippines has never reported either influenza A pandemic H1N1 virus in pigs
or any H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in poultry.
However, under the EMPRES programme, the situation is constantly monitored, in
particular through FAO-orchestrated regional influenza networks.
The
Philippines has been free from Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) for more than three
years and is awaiting the official recognition from World Organization for
Animal Health (OIE) as FMD-free.
Last
year the country experienced alarming mortalities in pigs, attributed to a
multiple disease complex associated with a highly virulent strain of Porcine
Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus. Swine samples revealed
multiple pathogens, including Ebola Reston Virus (ERV). The Philippines
received assistance from the Crisis Management Centre – Animal Health team in
January 2009, together with OIE, the World Health Organization, the United
States Department of Agriculture and Centre for Disease Control to assess ERV
findings. Diagnostic capability, capacity building and epidemiological
investigation and risk analysis in swine production and commerce were also
given attention. In February, an EMPRES senior officer returned to the
Philippines to ensure a follow-up of the tripartite mission (FAO-OIE-WHO),
assess the ERV occurrence in Filipino swine and brief potential donors on the
swine health situation in the Philippines, address questions (on ERV in swine and
humans) and consider FAO proposals to support the Department of Agriculture.
The
Philippines will be one of the beneficiary countries (through the Association
of South East Asian Nations) with the in-development European Commission
Regional Cooperation Programme on Highly Pathogenic and Emerging Diseases in
Asia (targeting mainly HPAI and FMD for the animal health side led by FAO).
This programme will take place within the Global Framework for Progressive
Control of Transboundary Animal Disease (GF-TADs) for Asia framework.
National Medium Term Priority Frame Work
(NMTPF)
The
draft National Medium Term Priority Framework (NMTPF) for the period 2011–2012
was shared with the regional office for Asia and the Pacific and headquarters
technical divisions in October 2009 for their review. The FAO representative is
planning a wider stakeholders consultation workshop in November 2009 to discuss
the document, which will serve as a basis for its finalization.
Other In-Country Programmes and Joint UN
Programme/Activities
At the
request of the Government of the Philippines, the UN country team in the
Philippines issued the flash appeal in October 2009 for emergency relief to the
victims of Typhoon Ketsana which mostly affected central Luzon. FAO, together
with the Department of Agriculture, developed the agriculture components of the
appeal. Just after Typhoon Ketsana, another Typhoon, Parma, caused serious
damages in Northern and Central Luzon, which is more devastating for the
agriculture and fishery sectors. In order to collect detailed information, FAO
and the DA fielded a joint rapid damage and needs assessment mission to the
seriously affected regions. Based on the result of the assessment and latest
information, FAO will revise the flash appeal and approach donors for
assistance and funding support since the production loss, particularly for
rice, is significant and could cause negative impact on food supply and
commodity prices. Time-critical support to the agriculture sector is urgently
required to ensure immediate resumption of farming and fishing-related
activities.
In
another area of coordination with UN Agencies, FAO co-leads the UN Inter-Agency
Food Security Steering Committee to replicate the high level task force at a
global level, which includes the World Bank, the African Develop Bank, the
International Monetary Fund, the International Rice Research Institute and
International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Society aimed at sharing
information and coordinate collective and strategic action in providing
necessary support to the government. FAO also co-leads the United Nations
Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) thematic group on environmental
sustainability, which identifies priority areas for joint
programming/collective action including resource mobilization. Under the joint
UN programmes for Millennium Development Goals, FAO is involved in areas of
climate change adaptation, food security and children and nutrition.
FAO, in
close consultation with the government, is also currently preparing NMPTF for
the Philippines based on the present mid-term Philippine development plan and
other government policies. While the NMPTF is generally prepared for a four to
five year period, the current one will cover two years (2010–11), since the
next UNDAF will start from 2012 and the next NMPTF should be synchronized for
the same cycle of UNDAF.
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