China donates 100K to Tacloban hospital

MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines donated P100,000 for the reconstruction of a hospital in typhoon-wrecked Tacloban City, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced.

DFA said that the International Bazaar Foundation Inc. received a check from the country's Chinese "friends" Wednesday as part of the proceeds of the "World of Music" concert.

The fundraising concert was staged for the rehabilitation of the the Divine Word Hospital which took in hundreds of patients suffering from serious injuries following Supertyphoon Yolanda's landfall in November last year.

The hospital was the only fully functional medical facility after the typhoon, while part of its ceiling caved in and its electricity cut off. Previous reports say the Divine Word Hospital's facilities such as ultrasound machine and MRI machines were also destroyed.

China's donation came amid its bitter territorial and maritime dispute with the Philippines over areas of the South China Sea.

In the 13th Filipino-Chinese Friendship celebration on June 10, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua insisted that the two countries have a relationship beyond the sea tensions.

"The Chinese government has always attached great importance to its relationship with the Philippines," Zhao said to an audience which included President Benigno Aquino III.