Two lawmakers from Mindanao have sought an update on the status of the Marawi rehabilitation program being implemented by an inter-agency body to enable Congress come up with a legislation that will help bring back normalcy in the war-torn area two years after the fated siege.
In filing House Resolution 470, Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman and Anak Mindanao Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan urged House of Representatives’ Committee on Disaster Management to conduct a thorough assessment of the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Program as implemented by Task Force Bangon Marawi.
“The end goal is to provide an environment conducive to the revival of business and livelihood activities, and restoration of peace and order in the area. We want to know if how much of this goal has been achieved and how long until we get there,” the two lawmakers said in the resolution.
Hataman said he also wants to inquire from the inter-agency body on how the government will be able to work double time to implement the rehabilitation, and how Congress will assist the government to realize its undertakings.
Sangcopan, for her part, said it’s been two years that the Marawi City was devastated by its 2017 siege by Islamic State-inspired terrorists, and yet a lot of families affected by the siege are having a hard time to get back on their feet.
They added that TFBM should give regular updates on all efforts of the inter-agency body to apprise, not just the people of Marawi or Mindanao, but the whole Filipino public as well of the developments in the rehabilitation program.
“This review in Congress is a way of reaching out to everyone involved in the rehabilitation to give us a view of what is happening, not to criticize but to find solutions to chokepoints,” Hataman said.
“This is the complaint of most people from Marawi that we talked to, that they are being kept in the dark as to what’s going to happen. The resolution we filed brings all stakeholders together in one room, free to ask the questions that needs answers,” he added.
A Post-Conflict Needs Assessment of the Marawi Siege pegged the total damage sustained by the area at around P11.5 billion. It also estimated the total losses at P6.7 billion and the amount needed for recovery and rehabilitation at P51.65 billion.
“Through this congressional review, we hope to achieve more and not get in the way of the rehabilitation efforts. But we need to know where we stand so we know how to move forward,” Hataman said.