Trillanes wants Senate probe on why, how Marawi siege happened

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on the first anniversary of the Marawi siege sought an investigation into the circumstances that led to the five-month conflict that resulted in the Islamic city getting reduced to ruin and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Trillanes also filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the status of the rehabilitation efforts in the city.

His Resolution 743 urged the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security to investigate the circumstances that led to the longest siege in the country’s recent history,  with the objective of determining policies to avoid similar conflicts.

“There should be joint efforts between the Department of National Defense and other government agencies to assess the lessons, including lapses on the part of the government, why the battle between the government forces and the terrorists lasted for five months,” Trillanes said.

He said the government knew about the threat months before Maute-ISIS bandits attacked the city. Duterte, he said, even challenged the Maute group to burn Marawi.

“Despite this, the government was not able to prevent the conflict. Worse, one year after it erupted, our affected kababayans continue to suffer and remain to be on the losing end of this crisis," Trillanes said.

"How can the government alleviate their suffering if until now it still has no final and comprehensive rehabilitation plan?” he added.

Trillanes Resolution No. 742 asked the Senate Special Committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation to look into the status of the reconstruction plans, and relief and rehabilitation.

He wanted the inquiry to focus on matters relating to livelihood and internally displaced persons.

“A year after the Marawi siege, the government has yet to present a comprehensive plan on how it intends to rehabilitate the City and assist our kababayans there. Worse, its efforts are hampered by a number of issues, from questionable contractors that would rebuild the city, to displacement or land grabbing fears of the affected residents,” he said. —NB, GMA News