A group of 100 students from China's earthquake-ravaged Sichuan Province thanked President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for their "unforgettable" week-long rehabilitation trip to the Philippines early this year, the government said on Thursday.

In a hand-written letter addressed to the President, the students expressed appreciation to her for receiving them as guests of the Filipino people, saying they would always cherish the friendship and warm hospitality they experienced during their January 11-17 visit.

"Our thankful feeling may hardly be expressed in words," the students wrote to the President. "We were impressed by the beautiful cities, (and) the hospitable (Filipino) people," they were quoted in a press release by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.

During their visit, the students met the President in the presidential palace. They also visited children-oriented museums, a local school, science centers, and the province of Bohol.

In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady said the visit of the Sichuan students was a very significant milestone in promoting people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and China.

"More importantly, it also enhanced the profound friendship and centuries-old ties between our two peoples and countries," Ambassador Brady said.

The visit was made possible upon the invitation of the President, which she proposed to Chinese President Hu Jintao when they met in Beijing during the Beijing Olympics in August last year, Ambassador Brady said.

President Arroyo visited Chengdu in Sichuan on August 7, 2008 and met with victims of the May 12 earthquake to offer her condolences.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2009)