OCHA releases latest Philippine Regional Profiles: a compilation of vital data for disaster preparedness

(Manila, Philippines: 28 February 2017):

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Philippines today released Philippine Regional Profiles, a compilation of geographic and demographic data of the 18 regions of the Philippines. Each snapshot contains a national or regional map and visual representations of regional demography, poverty and human development, disaster statistics and sectoral information on nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, livelihood, education and shelter.

“Humanitarian actors rely heavily on data even before the disaster hits. The Philippines is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world, and part of disaster preparedness is knowing the most likely hazards facing the country, who are the most vulnerable, and where they are located. The Philippines Regional Profiles puts the right information in the hands of people in a way that they can understand and use.” said Mark Bidder, OCHA Philippines Head of Office. “We commend the Philippine Government for their transparency and commitment to making the data readily available to the public.”

Data from the profiles were gathered from various sources such as the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Food and Nutrition Research Institute, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Philippine Statistics Authority and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

An PDF copy is available at the OCHA Philippines website: http://www.unocha.org/philippines. An interactive version is available on https://data.humdata.org/organization/ocha-philippines.

OCHA’s work is focused around five key areas:

• Coordination – OCHA brings together people, tools, and experience to save lives

• Advocacy – OCHA raises awareness of key humanitarian issues

• Information Management – OCHA collects, analyses and shares critical information

• Humanitarian Financing – OCHA organizes and monitors humanitarian funding

• Policy – OCHA provides guidance and clarity on humanitarian policy

For further information, please contact:
Gina Maramag, Public Information Analyst, maramag@un.org, Tel. +632 843 7688, Cell +63 917 597 7219
OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int.