(Eagle News) — Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is seeking an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the Marawi siege, and into the status of Marawi City’s rehabilitation.
Trillanes filed Senate Resolution 743 and Senate Resolution 742 on Wednesday, May 23, exactly a year after members of Maute and the Abu Sayyaf attacked the capital of Lanao del Sur in an alleged bid to establish an Islamic State caliphate.
In filing Senate Resolution 743, Trillanes said “there should be joint efforts between the Department of National Defense and other government agencies to assess the lessons, including lapses on the part of the government, why the battle between the government forces and the terrorists lasted for five months.”
He said there was a need to know why the “government was not able to prevent the conflict” even if, according to him, it already knew about the threat beforehand.
“Worse, one year after it erupted, our affected kababayans continue to suffer and remain to be on the losing end of this crisis,” Trillanes said.
In filing Senate Resolution 742 on the other hand, Trillanes sought to tap the Senate Special Committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation to look into the status of the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Marawi.
“A year after the Marawi siege, the government has yet to present a comprehensive plan on how it intends to rehabilitate the City and assist our kababayans there,” Trillanes claimed.
According to the senator, “worse, (the government’s) efforts are hampered by a number of issues, from questionable contractors that would rebuild the city, to displacement or land grabbing fears of the affected residents.”
On Tuesday, May 22, President Rodrigo Duterte assumed full responsibility for what happened in Marawi.
He has vowed to help the city get back on its feet, with the Palace issuing a statement it was satisfied with the progress of the efforts.
The task force has said that reconstruction of the area most affected will be completed in 2021.
“There is no construction that will happen overnight,” Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said, as he appealed for more understanding.