RECOVERY efforts for Marawi will begin with the building of 1,175 temporary shelters for residents who were displaced by five months of fighting, the chairman of the agency coordinating the activities of all government housing agencies said Sunday.
In an interview on radio dzBB, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council chairman Eduardo del Rosario said Marawi City is on its way to an early recovery.
“Task Force Bangon Marawi will focus on providing temporary shelter for those of our countrymen in Marawi who are still in evacuation centers,” Del Rosario said in Filipino.
The temporary housing units will be build in Barangay Sagonsongan, he said, adding that 500 to 600 units are expected to be turned over to returning Marawi residents by December.
Del Rosario said the government is also pushing for the immediate restoration of power and water supply in the war-ravaged city.
“There are 96 barangays sa Marawi City, and we can say 33 barangays are in Ground Zero. For the 63 barangays that were least affected, we’d like power and water supply to be restored before the residents return,” he added.
Del Rosario said four contractors have been tapped to build the temporary shelters, and he has asked the local city government to provide land so that site development can begin right away.
Also on Sunday, peace advocate and actor Robin Padilla launched Tindig Marawi, an effort to rebuild the war-torn city.
“Mindanao and peace are two things close to my heart,” Padilla said in Filipino.
“Ang Mindanao at kapayapaan ay dalawang bagay na malapit sa aking puso,” Padilla shares, explaining why the Marawi Siege that lasted for five months has impacted him in a big way.
After the fighting broke out in May, Padilla had started reaching out to friends, relatives and private companies to gather relief for those displaced by war. He also donated P5 million for psycho-social intervention for the children of Marawi, and distributed relief goods worth another P5 million to displaced residents of the city.
Realizing that the people of Marawi need so much more, he formed “Tindig, Marawi” as a springboard to generate more support from private individuals, corporations and organizations to support and help in the rebuilding of the city.