Tacloban city: The Philippine Red Cross (PRC), in partnership with the government of New Zealand, has initiated the construction of a PHP30 million warehouse facility in Tacloban City. This development aims to bolster disaster preparedness and humanitarian response across the Eastern Visayas region.

According to Philippines News Agency, the groundbreaking ceremony was led by New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Catherine McIntosh, alongside PRC Secretary-General Gwendolyn Pang and local chapter officials, including Vice Chairperson and Leyte Board Member Ina Larrazabal-Gimenez. The New Zealand government has contributed PHP20.6 million through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's International Development Cooperation Program.

The strategically located facility in Tacloban City will serve as a critical logistics hub for humanitarian operations in a region prone to typhoons, floods, storm surges, and other climate-related emergencies. Upon completion, the warehouse will feature 52 racking systems and maintain relief stocks sufficient to support up to 1,500 individuals. It will also improve logistics and inventory management for neighboring PRC chapters in Western Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Leyte, Hilongos, Ormoc, and Southern Leyte.

"As New Zealand and the Philippines commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations, we are proud to partner with the Philippine Red Cross in advancing resilience-building initiatives and reinforcing our longstanding commitment to humanitarian cooperation and disaster risk reduction," McIntosh stated.

Pang highlighted the significance of investing in preparedness to enhance humanitarian response. "With each item that will be prepositioned or stored in this warehouse, there is a family that may one day need help recovering from a disaster. This facility strengthens our ability to stand with communities in their most difficult moments, ensuring that assistance arrives faster, reaches farther, and provides hope when it is needed most," she remarked.