Marcos pushes for faster recovery of Marawi, orders TFBM to wind up ops

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for measures to speed up the recovery of Marawi City, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Saturday.

Marcos issued Administrative Order (AO) No. 14 which institutionalizes the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Marawi City.

The said AO, which was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Dec. 22, also streamlines the functions of government agencies to speed up the implementation of programs in Marawi City and other affected areas.

It also ordered Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) to wind up its operations on Dec. 31, 2023, and be deemed "functus officio" by March 31, 2024.

Marcos said streamlining the functions of government agencies will reduce delays, and promote efficiency and organizational coherence in the bureaucracy.

“In order to reduce delays due to redundant and superfluous bureaucratic layers in the National Government and to accelerate reconstruction and recovery efforts in the City of Marawi and other affected localities, the Administration is actively pursuing the rationalization of the functional structures of government agencies in order to promote efficiency and organizational coherence in the bureaucracy consistent with the Rightsizing policy,” the AO read, according to the PCO.

“To ensure institutional stability, it is imperative to institutionalize and strengthen the functions of implementing government agencies involved in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the City of Marawi and other affected localities,” it added.

AO No. 14 orders government agencies to expedite and ensure the completion of projects and activities in coordination with the concerned local government units.

It will take effect immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette.

Under the AO, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has been ordered to maintain peace and order in Marawi City and affected localities.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) was also ordered to facilitate and oversee completion of housing projects for affected residents.

"The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was also ordered to coordinate the complete restoration of public utilities such as water and electricity and the repair and re-construction of public buildings and infrastructure," the PCO said.

The Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development were also ordered to ensure that the needs of residents as to health, sanitation, food and other basic needs will be met.

The AO also called for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to provide an environment conducive to the revival of business and livelihood activities.  

Marcos noted that the TFBM created in 2017 was in charge of overseeing the progress and completion of several programs and activities under the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Program.

However, while TFBM supervised the activities, it was the government agencies which still executed the projects, he said.

This led to delays due to “redundant and superfluous bureaucratic layers in the National Government," Marcos said.

He ordered TFBM to revert the remaining balance of the TFBM Trust Fund to the Office of the President. The said fund was created on April 13, 2018 through a memorandum of agreement between the two offices.

The TFBM was also ordered to "conduct an inventory of its assets, properties and ensure proper accounting and turnover of the funds; settle its outstanding obligations and submit a Consolidated Audited Report of Disbursements to the OP on or before March 31, 2024; and submit a Comprehensive Transition Report to the President," according to the PCO.

On May 23, 2017, pro-ISIS terrorists belonging to the Maute group led by brothers Omar and Abdullah, with the help of the Abu Sayyaf faction under Isnilon Hapilon, occupied Marawi City, triggering a five-month armed conflict that resulted in over a thousands deaths and leaving the city in ruins.

In his State of the Nation Address this 2023, Marcos said five years after the siege, communities in Marawi were showing signs of progress.

"Nanunumbalik na ang sigla sa pamayanan. Maraming proyekto ang nakumpleto at mga imprastrakturang naitatayo. Kasalukuyan na tayong nagpoproseso ng tulong pinansyal para sa mga biktima ng Marawi siege upang sila ay makapagsimula muli. Nawa’y mamayani ang pag-asa. Nawa’y magpatuloy ang pagkakaisa, pagmamatyag, at paghahangad ng kapayapaan at kaunlaran," he said.

(Communities have started showing vibrance. Many projects and infrastructure were already completed. We are currently processing the financial assistance for the victims of the Marawi siege so they could start anew. May there be hope. May there be continued unity, alertness, and desire for peace and progress.) —KG, GMA Integrated News