Saturday, November 22, 2008 US to help in Mindanao rehab plan
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- The United States government has earmarked a grant of $2.5 million (P112.5 million) to restore the villages ravaged by hostilities in Southern Mindanao.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney announced this development after she visited an evacuation center in Datu Piang, one of the towns in Maguindanao province affected by the recent aggressions.
Kenney toured the area, together with Stephen Anderson of the United Nation's World Food Program.
Kenney told reporters in Cotabato City that the amount is separate from what the US government has earmarked for other development packages for Mindanao.
"This assistance is new and is intended for relief and rehabilitation," Kenney said.
Anderson, who is the country representative of WFP, led the distribution Friday of rice and fortified biscuits to some 5,000 families displaced by recent encounters between government troops and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces. (MCM)
