Rebuilding Marawi

Ruel Pelone

AFTER few months of battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria ISIS-inspired Maute terror group, the Duterte administration is finally heading toward rebuilding the besieged city of Marawi in Lanao del Sur.
Based on the latest count of the Department of Social Welfare and Development,  there are 115,880 families who are affected by the armed conflict in Marawi City.
DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo, in his annual report submitted to President Rodrigo “Roa” Duterte in July, said 96 barangays of Marawi from 20 other municipalities of Lanao del Sur (Balindong (Watu), Bayang, Binidayan, Buadiposo-Buntong, Bubong, Butig, Calanogas, Ditsaan-Ramain, Ganassi, Kapai, Lumba-Bayabao (Maguing), Lumbatan, Madamba, Madalum, Marantao, Masiu, Mulondo, Poona Bayabao (Gata), Saguiaran, and Tugaya); and from 2 municipalities of Lanao del Norte (Kolambugan and Sultan Naga Dimaporo / Karomatan) were affected by the armed conflict.
And to raise public awareness on government’s commitment in rebuilding Marawi City, the Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO) in coordination with the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) organized a forum in Manila on August 4.
“We are gathered here to present the reality of a place where its people immediately and rapidly fled from their homes because of the actual, unexpected occurrence of a violent terrorist invasion,” PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar said in his welcome remarks during the forum.
“We intend through this forum to make the public more seriously aware of the government’s work on the recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of Marawi City,” added Andanar.
In June this year, President Duterte created the inter-agency Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) through Administrative Order (AO) no. 3.
Among the functions of Task Force Bangon Marawi is to develop and implement a comprehensive rehabilitation and recovery program based on a post-conflict needs assessment.
Composed of 23 various government agencies and offices, the AO directed Task Force members to form themselves into five sub-committees, namely, Reconstruction, Housing, Health and Social Welfare, Business and Livelihood, and Peace and Order for the effective implementation of President Duterte’s order.
Additional sub-committees were formed to serve as support groups. They were the Finance and Resource Mobilization sub-committee co-chaired by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Legal Support team led by the Department of National Defense (DND), and the Strategic Communications and Information Management group headed by the PCOO.