China donates P65M for wounded soldiers

MANILA - China has donated P65 million for the wounded soldiers fighting Islamist militants in the strife-torn Marawi City.

President Rodrigo Duterte witnessed the turnover of the check from Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at the Malacañang Palace.

The Commander-in-Chief was accompanied by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, and AFP chiefof-staff General Eduardo Año.

In a press statement, Malacañang said Duterte was grateful for China's financial donation for the soldiers who sustained injuries in the ongoing armed conflict in Marawi City.

It added that the President assured that the donations received by his administration "would be put to good use."

"President Duterte said the assistance provided would be of great help to the government as it pursues the final stages of its operations against the Maute terrorists in Mindanao," it said.

"He also expressed the Filipino people's gratitude for China's continuous assistance to the country during the ongoing rebellion in the Islamic city," he added.

In June, China donated P15 million for the rehabilitation of Marawi City.

It also granted military aid package that includes rifles and ammunitions intended for the counter-terrorism efforts in Marawi City.