P16-B Marawi rehab groundbreaking hits snag

The groundbreaking for the estimated P16.8-billion rehabilitation program for Marawi City hit another snag after Bangon Marawi Task Force cited tedious negotiations with the contractor Power Construction Corp. of China or Power China.

Task force chairman and housing czar Eduardo del Rosario said they want to ensure the people that all joint venture agreements and contracts signed by the government and the developer would be legal.

“We would like to assure you that we are doing our best for this project,” he said.

The government’s negotiations with the Chinese-led Bangon Marawi Consortium failed earlier, which is why the task force is now negotiating with Power China for about P16-billion rehabilitation project in the most affected areas in Marawi.

“On the indicative rehabilitation timeline of the most affected area, the Bangon Marawi selection committee is currently undergoing negotiations with Power China,” Del Rosario said in a briefing in Malacañang yesterday.

“And we expect to complete the negotiation by next week, by the end of next week. And with this timeline, with this schedule, we expect the groundbreaking by third week of September,” he said.

Projects that are incomegenerating can be done under the joint venture agreements, Del Rosario explained, where the private developer also shells out the funds for the construction. The government will start paying them after the project is finished.

When it comes to negotiated deals, the official said, this would entail counterpart funds from the government.

Eight out of 22 identified projects can be classified under the joint venture agreements which may include a hospital and a convention center.

Malacañang wants “all legal minds” kept abreast of developments to ensure that no charges can be filed against administration officials after President Duterte’s term of office, officials said.

“We are now saying that it will be on Sept. 19, the groundbreaking, but it will not affect our target deadline of completing the most affected area rehabilitation by December of 2021,” Del Rosario said.

“We are doing this to ensure that we will get the right developer and the right specifications will be met with the right standards that we would like to have to ensure that the MAA (most affected area) rehabilitation will be in accordance with the standard that we have set,” he said.

According to Del Rosario, many foreign developers are interested in helping the government in the rehabilitation of Marawi City but they need to undergo stringent qualification requirements.

He said the task force is now negotiating with Power China for about 22 projects to raise Marawi from the ashes as earlier pronounced by Duterte in his public engagements.

“So, we shifted since we have declared unsuccessful negotiation, we are now negotiating with the second developer which is China Power,” he said.

The selection committee, headed by task force official Ace Millar, said the negotiation is moving smoothly.

The groundbreaking has been moved at least four times, the latest from August to September this year.