When typhoon Odette tore across the Visayas and Mindanao in December 2021, the world responded almost immediately. In less than a week, foreign governments began releasing cash assistance, mobilizing relief shipments and coordinating with humanitarian organizations already on the ground.
Odette was the strongest typhoon of 2021, leaving a trail of destruction. It claimed at least 400 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands, rendering entire communities uninhabitable and crippling infrastructure.
The European Union (EU) moved first, allocating 1.7 million euros (approximately P96.4 million then) on Dec. 20 for food, drinking water, shelter materials, medical support, hygiene campaigns and cash grants for displaced households. The following day, Canada released about P120 million through the World Food Programme, Oxfam Canada, Plan International and the Red Cross, targeting families in Surigao del Norte and Southern Leyte.
Ireland sent 250,000 euros through WFP, while the United Kingdom pledged GBP 750,000 to the Philippine Red Cross. New Zealand committed NZD 500,000, and Hungary followed with HUF 20 million to assist hard-hit areas in Cebu.
By Dec. 22, South Korea had pledged $2 million in cash and additional rice support. China donated $1 million and thousands of tons of rice. The United States first released $200,000 in emergency relief, then followed with an additional $1 million through USAID by Dec. 27. Within a week of Odette’s landfalls, aid was moving and visible.
Slower, measured response
Typhoon Tino, which made landfall on Nov. 4, 2025, while slightly less intense, has already claimed 224 lives as of Sunday, Nov. 9, with towns still submerged, families stranded on rooftops and homes destroyed. The images of devastation are starkly reminiscent of Odette, yet the international response has been slower and more cautious.
Four days after landfall, statements of sympathy and readiness to assist came from the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, the EU and the United Arab Emirates — but initially, none included figures, delivery timelines, nongovernmental organization coordination briefings or confirmed humanitarian deployments.
On Saturday, Nov. 8, the US government announced that it was providing $1 million in immediate life-saving assistance to support relief and recovery operations in areas severely affected by typhoon Tino and recent earthquakes. According to the US Department of State, the aid will augment ongoing humanitarian work by local partners and international organizations already operating in the country.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs has expressed gratitude for the many messages of solidarity and offers of support.
‘No call for foreign aid’
According to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, the Philippine government has not requested any foreign assistance following typhoon Tino, saying the country still has sufficient funds to respond to the disaster. On Thursday, Nov. 6, the National Government announced the release of P760 million in aid for typhoon Tino survivors in cities and provinces affected.
“There has been no call for any foreign assistance because, as of now, we still have funds for situations like this,” Castro said in a briefing on Friday, Nov. 7, citing the quick response funds of frontline agencies and local government support funds from the Office of the President.
“There has been no call for any foreign assistance because, as of now, we still have funds for situations like this,” - Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, Nov. 7, 2025
Global reaction
More recently, the geopolitical climate surrounding funding has shifted. Just two months before typhoon Tino, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung suspended a P28.7 billion infrastructure loan to the Philippines, citing “potential for corruption.” The decision came amid legislative investigations into alleged collusion in flood control projects — ironically, funds meant to prevent the very flooding that now submerges parts of Cebu and the Visayas.
Disaster response lives and dies in the window between impact and recovery. When homes are buried in mud and evacuation centers are overflowing, time becomes its own currency.
The EU has since committed around P54 million for relief efforts linked to multiple typhoons this season, while the Singapore Red Cross pledged $50,000 for urgent medical and sanitation needs. Timor-Leste, the newest Association of Southeast Asian Nations member, pledged to send over 100 engineers and firefighters to assist in recovery and cleanup efforts.
Disaster response lives and dies in the window between impact and recovery. When homes are buried in mud and evacuation centers are overflowing, time becomes its own currency.