Spain, Albay expand humanitarian cooperation

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By JOHNNY C. NUNEZ

LEGAZPI CITY -- Encouraged by their previous fruitful cooperation ventures, Spain and Albay have agreed to further strengthen and broaden their partnership on humanitarian concerns, particularly in the fields of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA).

Albay Governor Joey Salceda told a recent press conference here, Spain will use the Albay rehabilitation model for local government units (LGUs) it choses to help in the post Yolanda reconstruction program.

AECID officials visited Albay last week and discussed the details of new projects with Salceda. The visitors included Antonio Gonzalez, head of the agency’s Department of Cooperation for Asia and Arab countries; Vicente Selles, coordinator general; and his deputy, Norberto Gomez deLiano.

Salceda, who is co-chair of the UN Green Climate Fund, said Spain was impressed by how Albay has implemented Spain’s assisted projects. Their expanded partnership banks on Spain’s ready resources and Albay’s dexterity in DRR and CCA, being UN Global Model in these fields.

“Facilities funded by AECID and implemented by Albay have remained impressive, well maintained and very clean, and were visited by Queen Sofia herself,” Salceda said, quoting AECID coordinator general Selles. The Spanish Queen visited Albay in July last year and personally inspected her government’s assisted projects in the province.

Under the new partnership, the governor said Spain has sought the technical assistance of Albay in designing the financial framework, resource allocation and the strategy for the Spanish assistance to Yolanda stricken areas, with the new designs essentially now being implemented in Albay.

The accord also tasks the Albay Climate Change Academy (CCA) to train LGUs assisted by AECID’s in DRR. The Spanish government recognizes CCA’s capabilities as the leading knowledge hub on local climate change adaptation in Asia and in the world, Salceda said. The Albay Climate Change Academy, based at the Bicol University here, was conceived and funded through a special Spanish grant to the Millennium Development Goal Fund of the United Nations Development Program.

Salceda said AECID has also donated a second water filtration machine to Team Albay, which will boost the capability of the multi-awarded disaster response humanitarian group in responding to disasters. The additional machine will shortly be ferried here from Tolosa, Ley where it was initially fielded following Super typhoon Yolanda’s devastation in Eastern Visayas.

Team Albay has seen action in many disaster areas of the country, providing potable water to victims through its first water filtration machine donated by AECID in 2006. It has become Team Albay’s signature humanitarian gesture and for which it had received various awards.