Marawi mayor throws support behind Del Rosario

While it can be admitted that there have been delays in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi’s most affected areas, these should not be attributed to the chairperson’s fault

Despite opposition coming from some civic society groups, Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra expressed his strong support to the appointment of Eduardo del Rosario as Secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

During the continuation of the Commission on Appointment’s committee hearing on Del Rosario’s (CA) appointment yesterday, Gandamra defended Del Rosario from claims of some critics that the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) has been “ineffective” in its rehabilitation of the war-torn city.

“They said the Task Force Bangon Marawi has been ineffective because of the delays in the rehabilitation of Marawi City. They are even asking him (Del Rosario) to step down as chairperson,” Gandamra said.

“While it can be admitted that there have been delays in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi’s most affected areas, these should not be attributed to the chairperson’s fault,” he justified.

He pointed to the bureaucracy as the main culprit for the delay of the reconstruction of the city three years after President Rodrigo Duterte declared the liberation of Marawi from the Islamic State-inspired Maute Group.

Even the downloading of funds for the war-torn city’s rehabilitation faced difficulties due to layers of bureaucracy, Gandamra lamented.

He said this was the reason why they were invited by the Chief Executive to his office to “lobby” their concerns to fasttrack the infrastructure projects in his jurisdiction.

The Marawi mayor said that Del Rosario should not be solely blamed for the delays in the rehabilitation as the TFBM is composed of members from different national agencies.

“The Task Force Bangon Marawi, in spite of the shortcomings, has been successful in many ways through its projects and initiatives from the time of the siege and beyond,” expressed Gandamra.

“The delays are caused by circumstances that are beyond the TFBM’s control as it is under the national government.”

He further noted that Del Rosario has been meeting with different sectors including traditional, religious and other leaders of the local government to consolidate their views in the reconstruction of the city.

“We have worked alongside him and the members of his team. And we believe that the accusations and opposition directed towards him and the Task Force Bangon Marawi are no longer relevant as of this time,” Gandamra said.

Last week, several groups of internally displaced persons (IDP) have opposed the confirmation of Del Rosario as Housing Secretary, citing his alleged poor track record in the government’s effort to rehabilitate the war-torn city of Marawi in Mindanao.

Gandamra asked for unity among his constituents until the rehabilitation of Marawi is completed.

He said there is no room for “strife and divisiveness” instead, constituents of Marawi City should encourage TFBM in attaining their task to rebuild the Islamic City.

Previously, Del Rosario mentioned the construction of three bridges, 24 barangay complex, Grand Padian Market, Peace Memorial Park, Marawi Museum, four-story buildings, as some of the infrastructure projects that are currently under construction within Marawi’s most affected area.

Del Rosario also informed the CA panel that P5 billion has been allotted for the Marawi rehabilitation for 2021 under the budget proposal submitted by the Executive Department.

For the second time, Del Rosario’s appointment was not endorsed to the plenary due to time constraints.