No room for complacency

The military estimates that around 50 improvised explosive devices are still lying hidden in Marawi, a year after the start of the siege that left the Islamic city in ruins. The United Nations Children’s Fund, for its part, reports that some 100,000 children remain displaced following the five-month siege. Scores of residents remain missing.

Security officials also say that the Maute terrorist group, inspired by the extremist Islamic State, continues to pose a threat and can create trouble not only in Marawi but also in other parts of the country.

Dealing with those problems are just some of the challenges on top of the principal one, which is to rebuild a city that was once a prosperous and vibrant urban center. As in other reconstruction efforts, the aim is to build a better Marawi. The extent of the devastation opens opportunities for a thorough transformation, without sacrificing the city’s cultural uniqueness.

President Duterte said he was satisfied with the reconstruction efforts. But there is always room for improvement, including in the assistance provided to evacuees. Transition shelters must meet specified quality standards. Corruption must be prevented as massive infrastructure and other projects get underway.

Reconstruction, especially of a city destroyed by armed conflict, is never easy. The areas devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 are still continuing recovery efforts. There are ways, however, of boosting the efficiency of reconstruction to build back better.

A top concern is preventing a resurgence of the Mautes and a repeat of the siege elsewhere in Mindanao. The attack appeared to have taken the government by surprise, with top security officials joining the President in Russia when the siege started exactly a year ago today.

The Mautes proved tenacious, taking on the Armed Forces of the Philippines for five months. The AFP performed its job with admirable courage and the kind of professionalism that dispelled concerns about martial law in the city. Top Maute and Abu Sayyaf commanders were neutralized or captured. Still, the threat persists. A year after the siege, there is no room for complacency.