MANILA, Philippines — The Italian government has donated $240,000 or around P12.6 million in livelihood and food assistance to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for residents affected by the fighting in Marawi.

The WFP will provide cash assistance to affected families in exchange for their participation in livelihood projects focused on fisheries and farming for three months.

“WFP is grateful to the government of Italy for its continued generous support... to address food security and the nutrition needs of communities affected by the Marawi crisis,” WFP representative and country director Stephen Gluning said.

WFP will partner with the Departments of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform as well as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the implementation of the project.

“As the rehabilitation of Marawi... continues, Italy stands with the Philippine government in its efforts to assist the people of Marawi,” Italian Ambassador Giorgio Guglielmino said.

“Our partnership with the World Food Program will support the food needs of thousands of Filipinos as they rebuild their lives and livelihoods,” Guglielmino said.

Last year, the Italian government gave 300,000 euros or P13.4 million to the WFP to assist 1,600 farmers and their families in Marawi.

Road projects

Meanwhile, the groundbreaking ceremony for the rehabilitation of transcentral roads in Marawi that were destroyed in the fighting with Maute militants in 2017 was held yesterday.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) chief representative Yoshio Wada, Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers’ Concerns and Muslim Affairs Secretary Abdullah Mama-o and Lanao del Sur Vice Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. attended the ceremony.

The road projects will be constructed out of a P970-million grant from the Japanese government.

Villar said the projects involve civil works at the Marawi transcentral road with a total length of 9.56 kilometers and detailed engineering designs of 13 other road sections with a total length of 20.80 kms.

The Japanese government, through JICA, has donated two billion Japanese yen or around P970 million for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi and its surrounding areas, including its 18.97-km road network. – With Evelyn Macairan