Land values in Marawi surge

THE VALUE of a parcel of land in warravaged Marawi City, which is intended for a housing project, has surged “10 times” to P5,000 per square meter from the previous P500 per square meter, a government official revealed Friday, May 4.

Task Force Bangon Marawi observed during its previous meeting that the land acquisition cost for its proposed housing program was “surprisingly huge,” National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro said. Navarro said the price increase could not be avoided, as it is one of the anticipated results of the five-month armed conflict that devastated the Islamic city.

“That’s true in a postdisaster situation. There are stakeholders even

on the ground who are taking advantage of a crisis situation,” she told Palace reporters.

“So that’s to be expected, and that’s why the government is being careful in ascertaining the amounts and even the locations of the proposed projects,” she added.

Navarro assured that not all properties increased in value.

She cited that as far as the land acquisition for the Department of Public Works and Highways’s infrastructure projects is concerned, the government did not hear any “speculative activities.”

She was optimistic that the government would still be able to work out a “reasonable price” with landowners.

“The market value depends on the negotiation. If a government official will effectively say, ‘No, we won’t accept 10 times the former market value,’ then that pronouncement can be effective in sort of reducing the speculative activities,” she said.

“It will really depend on the negotiation between the housing agencies and the land owners... If they will be able to come up with a reasonable price, then there’s no need to find an alternative location.” Marawi City, a home to 200,000 individuals, was ruined after the five-month battle between fighters inspired by the Islamic State and the government troops.

Following its liberation in October last year, the government has started rehabilitation efforts with a P72-billion budget.

At least P17 billion of the P72 billion will be spent for the development of Marawi’s 24 most devastated villages, while the remaining P55 billion will be used for the villages outside the most affected areas in the city. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)