THE Task Force Bangon Marawi, which is in charge of rebuilding the war-torn city, denied that residents displaced by a five-month siege last year, were not consulted on the government's planned strategies of rebuilding 24 worst-affected villages.
Defense Assistant Secretary Kristoffer James Purisima said the task force has held a series of forums hosted for representative groups of officials and residents by the local government units of Marawi City and Lanao del Sur.
Purisima even told a TV interview over that most of those who oppose the government's plan to construct an “eco-zone" and military camp in the city are not residents of Marawi.
The Office of Civil Defense of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also supported Purisima’s statement with its photo-posts on social media showing consultation forums have had broad coverage.
OCD-ARMM has posted on social media photos of Defense Undersecretary Cesar Yano, task force head, presenting to his audience TFBM’s “plans and actions,” during a main forum dubbed the “Civil Society Stakeholders’ Shared Visioning and Strategic Planning for Marawi Crisis Response and Rebuilding” at Celadon Hotel, Iligan City on Aug. 10, 2017.
A civil society organization worker, who wished to remain anonymous for this story, recalled attending the forum, where—she said—a national newspaper quoted a Maranao leader warning officials that by pushing the TFBM plans, they could be “charged before the international court of justice.”
But Drieza Lininding, chairman of the Moro Consensus Group, said: “We dare challenge TFBM to produce documents, not just photos, that [could] prove that we, the affected residents, gave our consent to their plan, and also to make public the plan, if they are not doing any illegal acts.”
Lininding said he wanted the TFBM “to [also] name in public any group or individuals, including politicians, who allegedly support [the plan] for us to validate, if indeed they are residents [of the] main affected areas and are not misrepresenting us.” Nash B. Maulana
“The TFBM can be likened to the terrorist group that occupied Marawi and forcefully imposed their plan without respecting our rights,” Lininding said.
He said the task force is only consulting the LGUs and not the residents themselves.
In a statement on social media, Lininding said the TFBM “should be gently reminded” that presenting its plan “to (only) few chosen residents” did not mean consultation on any plan for Marawi. “This is clearly an imposition to us, and their plan is completely alien to our wishes to return and rebuild our home with or without government assistance.”
Lininding also warned developers, Chinese and local firms, including business groups “(probably) interested to invest in the main affected area and replace us, will face legal repercussion.” Lininding said, adding: “If they push through with the plan without our approval, we will not take this lightly; we will fight for our Birthright, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, to the end.”
Purisima said talks were “still ongoing,” and “until last week (the dialogue) continued with local government officials, traditional and religious leaders, and even among the evacuees.”
The residents’ group involved in last Friday's peace rally distributed a statement appealing to President Duterte to halt all efforts leading to establishing of an "eco-zone" and military camp within the city, calling it "an invasion of a different kind."
Residents displaced from Marawi's 24 most affected villages were allowed on Sunday to visit their erstwhile domicile by batch. Each batch was given by security forces three days to help clear movable things or debris or take from their belongings whatever that could still be salvaged.
Col. Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of Task Force Ranao, said government forces will close the most affected areas again after May 10 when clearing up of war debris resumes. Clearing up works may take up to one year, Brawner added.
Earlier, Housing and Falconi Ace Millar, Urban Development Coordinating Council Secretary-General, said consortium from China and Malaysia have expressed interest in submitting rehabilitation proposals on the city’s villages worst affected the conflict. Nash B. Maulana