1. SITUATION OVERVIEW

a. On-going El Nino in decaying stage; possibility of La Nina on the rise.

b. The current El Nino continues to weaken in the tropical Pacific. Majority of climate models suggest that El Nino is in its decaying stage, returning to ENSO-neutral condition by mid-2016.

MUNAI, LANAO DEL NORTE, June 5 – Despite initial uncertainties with regard the continuation of the Bangsamoro peace process with the upcoming change of administration, the planned transformation of the six previously acknowledged Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camps continues as outlined in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro particularly in its Normalization Annex.

Foreword

Strategic Assessment

The global terrorist threat continued to evolve rapidly in 2015, becoming increasingly decentralized and diffuse. Terrorist groups continued to exploit an absence of credible and effective state institutions, where avenues for free and peaceful expression of opinion were blocked, justice systems lacked credibility, and where security force abuses and government corruption went unchecked.

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, June 3 (PIA) --- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) government through its Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (HEART) provided on June 1, relief assistance to around 2,000 families displaced by a military operation against a local rebel group in Butig town, Lanao del Sur.

ARMM Vice-Governor Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman said residents who have fled the fighting are taking temporary shelter at different evacuation centers in the towns of Lumbanayage, Masiu, and in Marawi City.

Crop failures have left people desperately short of food in conflict-affected areas of North Cotabato Province in the Philippines. The ICRC and the Philippine Red Cross have distributed food to almost 30,000 people in two of the worst-hit communities.

Over 280 square kilometres of agricultural land are affected and 12,000 farming families have lost between 70 and 100 percent of their rice, corn, coconut and banana crops. Families in upland villages began to experience hunger in October last year. They have had to eat wild yams, which are poisonous if not prepared carefully.

• As of 1 June 2016, 60 countries and territories report continuing mosquito-borne transmission (Fig. 1) of which:

• 46 countries are experiencing a first outbreak of Zika virus since 2015, with no previous evidence of circulation, and with ongoing transmission by mosquitos (Table 1).

• 14 countries reported evidence of Zika virus transmission between 2007 and 2014, with ongoing transmission.

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, June 2 (PIA) – The expected La Niña phenomenon is projected to affect palay production in Eastern Visayas by about 200,000 metric tons involving 55,000 hectares of rice farms across the region.

Leo Cañeda, regional director, Department of Agriculture, has declared of the probable damage on rice production spawned by the heavy rains of La Niña.

31 May 2016, Tacloban City, Philippines– The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today turned over two newly-built evacuation centres to Typhoon Yolanda-affected communities in Biliran province.

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

At IRT, our mission and focus is to alleviate human suffering by aiding victims of disasters and building healthy communities. In times of disasters, we rely on partnerships with other international organizations to achieve maximum impact with your donations. In this way, we establish clear and appropriate roles, avoid duplication of efforts, and maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of our response.

The month saw Venezuela’s political, economic and humanitarian crisis worsen amid heightened tensions between the government and opposition, a situation which could lead to state collapse and regional destabilisation. Another major setback in electing a new president in Haiti prompted fears of further civil unrest. In West Africa, deadly violence in central Mali and south-east Nigeria spiked, while a power struggle in Guinea-Bissau led to a dangerous standoff.

Executive summary

I. Introduction

Shock at the Scale of Grave Violations Committed Against Children in 2015

New York – In his Annual report on children and armed conflict covering the year 2015, the UN Secretary-General expressed his shock at the scale of grave violations committed against children in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

KIDAPAWAN CITY, North Cotabato, May 31 (PIA)--- A total of 103 farmers from the towns of Makilala and Magpet and from Kidapawan City recently received farm animals from the province’s Animal Dispersal Program.

From the said number, 19 were from the villages of Makilala, 10 from Kidapawan City and 74 from Magpet town. The farm animals which were particularly distributed to drought- affected farmers include piglets and goats.

KIDAPAWAN CITY, North Cotabato, May 31 (PIA) -- Over 20,000 drought-hit households in Kidapawan City are set to receive rice from the city government here.

By order from Mayor Joseph Evangelista, the City Social Welfare and Development Office in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross resumed on Tuesday (May 31) the conduct of Rice Calamity Assistance Distribution.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Local NGOs respond to emergencies and build resilience in communities affected by recurrent disasters and conflict in Mindanao.

• Anticipated La Niña may bring above-normal rainfall and strong typhoons to the Philippines in late 2016.

• The Philippines committed to enhanced national and regional disaster preparedness, strategic private sector engagement in disaster management, and community resilience at the World Humanitarian Summit.

The current El Niño episode, considered one of the strongest in recent times, has shown signs of weakening and is expected to end in July. El Niño-induced drought has peaked in May, and its impact will continually be felt in the coming months in parts of the Philippines. Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) declared the onset of the rainy season and warned of above-normal rainfall due to La Niña in the second half of 2016.

Description of the disaster