Palace satisfied with Marawi rehab efforts
MANILA - Malacañang said yesterday it is satisfied with government's efforts to rehabilitate war-torn Marawi City, where five months of firefights between terrorists and state troops erupted a year ago.
"We are satisfied and the President has complete trust [in] General Del Rosario," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing, referring to Task Force Bangon Marawi chairman Eduardo del Rosario.
The Philippines will mark today (Wednesday, May 23), the first year since the start of the Marawi siege, where Islamic State-inspired terrorists captured parts of the predominantly Islamic city in a bid to establish a stronghold in the region.
Over 1,000 people, mostly ISIS-inspired terrorists, were killed during the 5-month siege. It also triggered a humanitarian crisis, with more than 200,000 residents displaced and homes and establishments destroyed.
Government has launched a P72-billion rehabilitation program to rebuild the city, once a bustling center of commerce and culture in Mindanao. It has yet to be fully reopened to civilians, some of whom wish to rebuild their homes and bring their lives back to normal.
But Roque said about 70 percent of the displaced residents have returned to the city, occupying either temporary or permanent shelters built by the government. —