After fleeing for their lives nearly a year ago, residents of the battle-scarred Philippine city of Marawi made their first visit back on April 1 to dig through the rubble that was once their homes. / AFP PHOTO / TED ALJIBE
(Eagle News) – Malacanang is satisfied with the progress in the projected rehabilitation and rebuilding of Marawi City as 70 percent of the residents have been given housing units by the government a year after the Marawi siege that devastated the Islamic city.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., said that so far, President Rodrigo Duterte is satisfied with the work of retired general Eduardo Del Rosario who heads the Task Force Bangon Marawi.
“Buo ang tiwala ng President kay General del Rosario,” he said. “We are even ahead of the schedule in terms of the rebuilding of the community.”
Roque said that 70 percent of the displaced Marawi residents have already gone back to the city.
But he noted that the rebuilding of the most devastated parts of the city is yet to start.
“Siempre po, gaya ng marami sa mga taga-Marawi ay naiinip na rin tayo, pero kinakailangan po talagang dumaan sa proseso yang rebuilding ng Ground Zero,” Roque said.
“Pero ang importante po, 70 percent of the residents have gone back to Marawi and are occupying homes that we’ve built for them and life goes on for a greater majority of them,” he said.
The President is expected to go to Marawi City to mark the first year since the Marawi siege that had forced him to declare martial law in the whole of Mindanao through Proclamation No. 216 which he signed on May 23 last year while he was on his official visit in Russia.
On May 31, 2017, Congress approved a resolution supporting the Martial Law declaration in Mindanao.
On July 23 last year, Congress also approved to extend the martial law until the end of year 2017.
On October 17, 2017, Duterte declared the “liberation of Marawi” from the hands of the Islamic terrorists following the deaths of Maute leader, Omar Maute, and ISIS-affiliated Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon.
On December 13 last year, a special joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives was held to respond to Malacanang’s request to extend the martial law declaration in Mindanao until December 31, 2018. (Eagle News Service)