Deadly ordnance slows city recovery

MANILA: Nearly 50 pieces of unexploded ordnance have yet to be recovered from a southern Philippine city damaged during a five-month battle with Islamic State-allied militants in 2017, the military said.

The delay in recovering the 49 explosives has hindered the rehabilitation of Marawi City, 880km south of Manila, which was devastated by the fighting in 2017, said Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo, a military spokesperson.

A private firm contracted to aid in the rehabilitation of Marawi City has been helping in the detection and recovery of the unexploded ordnance, Arevalo said. “It is difficult to retrieve because it’s buried deep underneath buildings and collapsed structures.”

The Marawi siege left the municipality in ruins and displaced over half a million people.