MARAWI RESETTLEMENT. A family displaced by the 2017 Marawi siege in their new community in Marawi Resettlement Site Phase 1: Hadiya Village, Barangay Dulay West in this undated photo. A total of 109 permanent houses constructed by the UN-Habitat were inaugurated in the area in February 2021. (Photo from UN-Habitat)
MANILA – Members of a House of Representatives panel have conducted an ocular site visit and public consultation in Marawi City in response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s marching order for a swift and total rehabilitation of the city left in ruins after a five-month war between government forces and the terrorist Maute group in 2017.
In a news release on Wednesday, House Committee on Marawi Rehabilitation chairperson, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, said the ocular site visit on June 4 gave them a sense of the gravity of the situation faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the urgent need for comprehensive rehabilitation efforts.
He said the panel members visited several critical areas in Marawi, including the Temporary and Permanent Shelters, the site of the proposed Bulk Water System, the ruins in the Most Affected Area, Marawi's Golden Mosque, and Marawi City’s Rizal Park and Freedom Park.
Adiong said immediate concerns were discussed during the public hearing also attended by officials of the National Housing Authority who gave updates on housing projects for IDPs.
He said among the major issues that need to be resolved is the restoration of power and water systems.
“These issues regarding basic services for the residents of Marawi City are critical,” said Adiong, also an assistant majority leader, who was joined by Assistant Minority Leader 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez and Committee on Mindanao Affairs chairperson, Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Yevgeny Vicente Emano.
“The crowning achievement of rehabilitation will be the reintegration of the IDPs back into even the Most Affected Areas. None of this is possible without the restoration of basic services, especially housing, electricity, and water," he said.
Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. suggested close coordination with the Department of National Defense to find a long-term solution on the location of the bulk water system inside an Army encampment.
Deputy Majority Leader PBA Party-list Rep. Margarita "Migs" Nograles and Bataan lone district Rep. Geraldine Roman pledged support for livelihood and entrepreneurship programs for the women IDPs of Marawi City.
Adiong said the public consultation and site visits are essential steps in ensuring that the needs of the IDPs are met and that Marawi City is restored to its former glory.
"I am also happy to see the concern and active participation of my House colleagues in the rehabilitation of Marawi. This truly is unity, compassion, and cooperation in its most meaningful form. The people of Marawi will forever be grateful,” he said. (PNA)
