Troops, police start cleaning, repairing ruined streets of Marawi

Around 80 soldiers and policemen have been deployed all over Marawi City for a week now to start cleaning the ruined streets of the city besieged by the Maute and their Islamic State (IS) cohorts three months ago.

Armed this time with stick brooms, grass cutters, bolos, and paintbrushes, the security personnel spread out through the streets of the city in areas already declared cleared of enemy presence.

Dubbed “Kaplimpiyo tano ko Kalilintad” in Maranao, which means “Maglinis Tayo para sa Kapayapaan” in Filipino, the cleanup covered streets in barangays Emie,

Matampay, Sarimanok, Marawi, and Malalat. The drive was initiated by Joint Task Force Tabang headed by Col. Thomas Sedano.

Utilizing all the Civil-Military Operations units available, the group tidied up various areas that suffered after the Maute stormed and destroyed the city since May this year.

“We will do it little by little since we lack manpower for the purpose. However, we will make sure that these streets will not look as grubby and filthy as they appeared to be before we started cleaning them up,” Sedano said.

“Our primary intention is to avoid an epidemic that could plague our communities when the residents of Marawi are allowed to come back,” he added.

A clean-up drive for religious sites such as mosques was also launched at barangay Lilod, Tulali, Marawi City. Around 15 policemen and a team of soldiers cleaned and made minor repairs on the Saad Huzam Almusairi Masjid in the barangay. The activity was an initiative of the Joint Task Group PNP headed by its commander, Senior Supt. Rolando Anduyan.

“We deployed our Maranao policemen for this purpose to specifically address cultural sensitivity issues,” Anduyan said. “They are the proper persons who know how to do the job without violating religious practices and beliefs.”

Also present during the launching was Supt. Filmore Abdusalam Calib, the deputy commander of the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB of the Autronomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Armed Forces Joint Task Force Marawi Commander Brig. Gen. Joselito Bautista supported the initiative and assured that they will continue doing this in partnership with the police so that mosques that have been preserved will be able to cater Moslem believers immediately by the time we give a green light for soldiers to go back to their homes.

“The next in line for clearing are mosques inside the Main Battle Area,” Bautista said.

As fighting continues in downtown Marawi, thousands of soldiers and policemen are also engaged in rehabilitation projects that are already underway.

“We know that people are already asking when they can come back to their homes. We hope they will understand that their soldiers and policemen are doing our best to finish the fighting the soonest so that they can go home finally,” Lt. Gen., Carlito G. Galvez Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said.

“These activities intend to prepare the area for the upcoming come back of the evacuees to their respective homes. We hope the clean-up will somehow alleviate how they feel when they go back to a place which was torn by war and fighting,” he added.