Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Filipino province of Davao del Norte affected by the recent drought.

We are aware of the El Nino induced drought affecting some regions of the Philippines. The Department for International Development have also provided funding to the UK Met Office to provide technical assistance to Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

The Philippines has a well-developed disaster management system that is appropriately resourced; we judge that the impact of El Nino does not exceed the Government of Philippines’s capacity to respond. Should the Philippines require external assistance, Association of Southeast Asian Nations should constitute the first line of international response.