AT LEAST P90 billion will be needed to rebuild Marawi City after it was ruined by the nearly five-month siege of Islamic State-inspired terrorists, its mayor Majul Usman Gandamra said Friday. Gandamra said the amount needed to rebuild a “better” Marawi was based on the government’s “consolidated master plan” that was completed several weeks ago.
“Kung meron po akong authority na magbigay ay initially meron ho tayong an amount of P90 billion,” Gandamra told reporters.
“Kung aayusin po natin ang Marawi City ay hindi po natin”•hindi lang ho ibabalik natin sa dati. But of course, we will make it better than it was before. ‘Yun po ang ating gusto. And of course, no amount of money that can compensate doon ho sa nangyari sa Marawi City.”
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had earlier said the Budget Department had allocated “about P5 billion” as initial funding to rebuild Marawi.
The P10 billion would be allocated next year to restore the city, he said.
But Gandamra said an initial proposal of at least P30 billion was being considered for the start of Marawi’s rehabilitation in the first quarter of 2018.
The amount would not only be used to rehabilitate structures and restore economic operations in the city but also to launch “peace-building” efforts, Gandamra said.
“Because as a result of this siege, almost 100 percent of our economic operation totally collapsed,” he said.