Marawi rehab to be 90%–95% complete by December 2021, says task force chief

Internally displaced people (IDP) walk with safety managers during a scheduled visit to Marawi City's most affected war-torn area on May 11, 2019.  REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

The rehabilitation of the areas in Marawi City most affected by the siege will be 90 to 95 percent completed by December 2021, the chief of Task Force Bangon Marawi said Sunday.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario said that rehabilitation efforts are “going smoothly” based on their master development plan, two years after the siege ended.

“In two years’ time, actually December 2021, almost complete na ‘yung rehabilitation na gagawin natin sa most affected areas. If it’s not 100 percent, maybe mga 5 percent na lang ang kailangan doon. So it will be completed during the term of the president by June of 2022,” he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte's term will end in June 2022.

Del Rosario said the clearing operations for debris and unexploded bombs will be finished by October 31.

By November 30, the task force will then request the Armed Forces to declare the city cleared.

Del Rosario also said projects such as the construction of vertical infrastructures will be implemented starting December.

“Mabilis actually ‘yung ating ginagawang rehabilitation kasi di naman puwedeng instantly. We are talking about million of tons na debris na dapat sirain, tanggalin ang bomba [...] It is really very dangerous and for safety considerations we to be very meticulous, do it very slowly para walang maging casualty in the process,” he said.

Del Rosario said that out of some 96 barangays in Marawi, 24 were severely affected by the siege.

The task force has also completed about 2,200 out of the targeted 5,400 temporary shelters for the displaced Marawi residents.

Del Rosario said they expect to complete an additional 1,000 shelters by the first quarter of 2020.

“We understand the feelings of the internally displaced persons. Tayo nga siguro kung sa atin nangyari ‘yun, we would like to go back immediately the following day or week or month. But that is not possible because of the nature of the problem, the nature of the devastation, na it needs so much effort on the part of the government,” he said.

Del Rosario also reported that the strength of the Maute-ISIS terrorists in the city has dropped to 25 people from the previous estimate of over 500, leading them to conduct recruitment activities which authorities are monitoring.

Terrorists from the Maute group occupied Marawi in May 2017. President Rodrigo Duterte declared the city “liberated” in October 17.

See a timeline of the Marawi siege here.  — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News