Filipino Muslims Praise Italian Philanthropist

(Mindanao Examiner Video)

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 25 Sept) Muslims in Jolo on Monday praised an Italian philanthropist, Armando de Rossi, for his active role in bringing aid to many poor families in this impoverished southern Philippine island.

“We are very thankful to the Italian. He has been helping us here many times already and when he is in Panamao (town) many people are happy,” said Mukaram Santi, a farmer.

De Rossi, who runs the 3P (Peace and Prosperity for the Philippines) Foundation, last year had donated more than P50 million worth of aid.

De Rossi, also president and CEO of the CMC di Ravenna (Asia), Inc., has been living in the Philippines the past three decades.

"All we want to do is to help the Filipino people, especially those who are now at the different government shelters in Jolo. I've been living in the Philippines the past 30 years. I love this country and we will continue to help the poor people," De Rossi said told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said he contacted his friends from around the world to raise some P50 million to help finance the rehabilitation efforts in Jolo. "We are going to bring here a lot of aid, a lot of help from different people, to buy food and medicines, hospital equipment, to fund the building of mosques, of potable water system, of school rooms and more," De Rossi said.

But he also admitted that most of the money would come from his own pockets. "Helping other people is the most important thing for me, money is just a tool to help those who have less in life," De Rossi said.

According to the website of the American Digital Channels, the CMC di Ravenna (Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti) was founded in 1901 and is the largest construction cooperative in Europe based in Italy and world renowned among the leading European contractors with its impressive record of completed projects in all construction fields and good reputation among domestic and international clients.