House construction in Marawi's most affected area to start this year —DHSUD chief

Around 1,500 families residing in Marawi City's most affected area (MAA) will only start rebuilding their homes this year, more than four years after the infamous Marawi siege, the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) said Thursday.

During the Laging Handa briefing, DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said the delay is due to the lengthy process of securing building permits, on top of absence of water and power supply in the MAA, and ongoing construction of public infrastructure.

The MAA area covers 24 out of the city's 96 barangays.

"Most IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) families from the MAA are likely to start the New Year rebuilding or refurbishing their homes because the requirement for them to [be allowed to] go inside the most affected area in order for them to rebuild or repair their houses is a building permit," he said.

"The local government unit is now fast tracking the release of the building permits, and in coordination with Mayor [Majul] Gandamra of Marawi City, 1,500 [building permits] were released within December [2021]," Del Rosario added.

"We expect that by first quarter of this year, more IDPs will be coming in to repair or reconstruct their houses."

Del Rosario said there were instances when those who own the lot and used to rent it do not want to rent it again after members of the Maute terrorist group lay siege of the city for five months in 2017.

"The process has been meticulous because the local government is ensuring that those who want to rebuild the house own the lot, too. We have experienced so many problems already because those who own the lot and those who want to build the house are not the same person," he said.

"So we require that the one applying for a building permit would need consent from the lot owner."

Del Rosario said they are making sure that the agency "would not be blamed for allowing some personalities to build a house on a lot they do not own."

Meanwhile, del Rosario said provision of basic services such as water and power supply, and as well as public infrastructure, in the city only improved in October 2021.

"The issue in the most affected area [is also the fact that] people were not able to return because there is no water and power supply, and the road network construction and different public infrastructure are on full blast. These are about to be finished, and that is why Sectors 1 to 9 were opened in October last year," he said.

Del Rosario, however, said that a number of infrastructure buildings in Marawi City's MAA have already been rebuilt such as:

• six barangay complexes each equipped with a health center and a madrasa
• six mosques, including the iconic Grand Mosque
• a four-storey school building under the Master Development Plan

Other infrastructure projects in MAA such as the Rizal Park, traffic command center, the Grand Padian Market with ice plant, Marawi Museum, the School of Living Traditions, the Marawi City Jail, and the Marawi Command Center, on the other hand,  are in the final stages of completion.

The construction of the Sarimanok Sports Stadium, Lake Lanao Promenade and Marawi City Convention are also ongoing in the MAA. del Rosario said.

Del Rosario has earlier said 95% of the rehabilitation work in Marawi City will be completed by the end of President Rodrigo Duterte's term on June 30. —KBK, GMA News