Philippines receives $3.2M donation from Saudi Arabia for Marawi relief, COVID-19 response

The Philippines formally welcomed on Thursday Saudi Arabia's donation of $3.2 million in humanitarian and financial aid for the rehabilitation of Marawi City and the country's COVID-19 response.

The donation is also meant to help the country recover from the effects of Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) which caused devastation in many areas in December 2021, according to a press release from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia — Manila.

Included in the donation are medical and preventive equipment and supplies worth $1.7 million. These include surgical sterile gowns, non-sterile surgical gowns, KN95 masks, surgical masks, nitrile gloves, and 53 ventilators, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The Saudi government also donated $1.5 million in cash to the Department of Health (DOH) for the development of health facilities in Marawi City, in particular for the installation of medical equipment and training of medical personnel, the DFA added.

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center carried out the directive of Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to give the donation to the Philippines.

Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the Philippines Hisham bin Sultan Al-Qahtani and King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center representative Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Moallem turned over the donation to the Philippine government represented by Health Undersecretary Dr. Leopoldo Vega at the DFA office in the presence of DFA and DOH officials.

The DOH then awarded a certificate of appreciation to the Saudi Embassy in Manila and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center for their contributions.

Al-Qahtani said King Salman's directive stems from Saudi Arabia's "humanitarian and pioneering role towards the international community in all parts of the world, and the Kingdom's recognition of the importance of this influential role in alleviating human suffering and enabling people to live decent lives, as well as the Kingdom's continued assistance to the needy all over the world." 

Marawi City in Lanao del Sur was attacked in 2017 by Maute terrorists. Clashes between the military and Maute terrorists for five months left many parts of the city destroyed, and families displaced. The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development said earlier that 95% of the rehabilitation work in Marawi City will be completed by the end of President Rodrigo Duterte's term on June 30, 2022. —KG, GMA News