Marawi bouncing back from rubble

MARAWI CITY -Mayor Majul Gandamra said economic activity in the city is coming back as more sectors have been cleared by the military.

“This is a testament that we are slowly recovering from the scars of a fierce battle,” Gandamra said.

Addressing his people during the 79th charter anniversary of Marawi, an emotional Gandamra said: “I would like to thank each and every Marawi citizen and everyone who believes in Marawi, every man, woman and child in Marawi, for caring, for striving, for doing what is good for the city.”

“For being strong and resilient, for their courage and determination that someday, life will get better. For coming back, for showing what Marawi means to you and your families,” Gandamra said.

An emotional Gandamra said Marawi should not be called as a ghost city.

“People should look around. The Most Affected Area (MAA) is just 25 hectares of the whole city. Look around. We are here, people are alive, people have returned to their normal routine. We are not ghosts,” the mayor said.

Gandamra said the ongoing rehabilitation projects inside and outside the most affected area (MAA) or the “ground zero” are proof that the city “will rise again.”

“Twenty-four months to move in from the rubble is not enough. Losing loved ones, devastated and shattered dreams cannot be undone in two years. What is paramount is the love to live a new life with a hope of a strengthened community that is based on everyone’s support and cooperation,” Gandamra said.

The mayor said the ongoing recovery of “unexploded ordnance” (UXO) and the demolition of properties have

contributed to the delay in the rehabilitation timeframe. Gandamra said safety and security is the utmost consideration in the clearing operations. But even while rehabilitation is ongoing, some projects are now bearing fruits, the mayor said. “What was once a dream before is now reality,” he said, citing the flood control project right before the Mapandi bridge at the center of Marawi and the diversion road from from Saquiran town to the poblacion of Marawi City,” the mayor said. The diversion road earned the monicker of “dream road” because no one would believe that the promised road by the late Lanao sel Sur Govenor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Sr. would still be realized. Saguiran municipality, which used to be a “sleepy” town, is now generating economic activity since the temporary shelters of the displaced families are located in border village of Sagonsongan village. Safety A report by Project Rise on August 8, 2019 showed that a total of 330 explosive remnants of war (ERW) were recovered and were already neutralized and disposed of. Project Rise is a government body tasked in the rehabilitation of Marawi City. A total 70 UXOs were also found mostly by the members of debris management in coordination with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), six of which were detonated while 42 others are for detection and recovery. Sectors 1, 2 and 3 are 99 percent cleared of UXOs while Sector 5 is already 80 percent cleared. Consent The mayor said the refusal of some property owners to allow the demolition of their properties also contributed to the delays in the rehabilitation. “Getting their consent took so long, because most of them are not residing here while others have yet to decide what to do with the space,” he pointed out. Gandamra said residents were allowed to visit their properties to assess whether their houses or buildings can still be repaired or should be demolished. As of August 7, Project Rise reported that a total of 2,804 property owners have already consented for their establishments be demolished. The government has already torn down a total of 1,875 structures and 1,720 of which already cleared with debris. Project Rise recorded a total of 5,403 actual structures in the nine affected sectors in the city. Project Rise reported a 52.48 percent accomplishment as of July 31, 2019 based on the timeline of Marawi’s rehabilitation. As scheduled the dates of reentry: Sector 1 - end of July; Sectors 2/3-end of August; Sectors 4/5-end of September; Sectors 6/7- end of October and Sectors 8 and 9 - end of November. Eric Ybañez, the Marawi rehab project engineer from the NHA, said they are working as scheduled and are “doing as planned and with caution because we cannot compromise the security of the people.” A stronger Marawi Gandamra said all these developments will never happen without the help of government. “We are hurt if people in Manila said Marawi is a ghost city. We are slowly building our lives back. We were never abandoned by government. President Duterte made true his promise to rebuild Marawi,” Gandamra said. Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Counicl (HUDCC) chair Eduardo del Rosario said “the government is not sleeping, we are doing as planned with the support of the people.” Hasmina Dipatuan, an official of Mindanao State University said: “You can see many housing units here inside the teachers Village here in Marawi, dumarami ang pumupunta dito, makita nya.. tingnan nyo ang paligid, iba na ang Marawi ngayon, natutuwa kami dahil may military na, sana huwag na silang kukunin dito sa Marawi.” “Those saying that Marawi is a ghost city are people not from Marawi, it hurts us, we are here we are not ghosts, we do not understand why they speak in our behalf to tell lies, they should stay and live here, so they will know, we are here,” she added. For Concepcion Semante, 62, who once enjoyed the booming business inside the Marawi Commercial Complex, the Marawi siege is a lesson learned. “We lost our business, but we will rise again,” Semante said. Rebuilding Marawi Gandamra said the government did not turn its back on the Marawi people. In fact, the mayor noted that National Housing Authority (NHA) Manager Marcelino Escalada “is always here, he makes sure that everything is properly coordinated and is done according to the plan which they presented during the public hearing on April.” “Hindi kami pinabayaan ni President (Rodrigo) Duterte, lahat ng gusto niya pinapaabot sa amin ni Mr. Escalada, at lahat nga stakeholders kinoconsulta (President Duterte did not neglect us. All his plans for the city were coursed through Mr. Escalada and all of the stakeholders were consulted,” he added. The mayor said delays can always be expected in the rehabilitation because certain protocols and processes have to be observed to keep everybody secure and safe. Recently, NHA and Marawi City led the groundbreaking for the construction of the 2,000 permanent shelters that are set for completion in March 2020. The 2,000 housing units will be built in the 39-hectare land that will cater to 2,000 families, the land was purchased by the NHA which will also undertake the land development while the construction will be financed by the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Foundation. “The instruction of the President is clear: the NHA works on the temporary shelter and permanent houses, for us also to supervise the debris management. We have the marching order and we are working as scheduled,” said Escalada, who is also secretary-general of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. Escalada said the funds were only released in 2018 to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to finance the rehabilitation and restoration of Marawi after the series of assessments in the area. NHA is tasked to build temporary and permanent shelters in Marawi, aside from clearing the area of explosives and debris. Escalada said the process of rehabilitation “must be structurally sound and culturally sensitive.” “We have the blueprint, the new one, this is drawn of the consultations and discussion with Marawi residents and stakeholders, it is craft from the culture of Meranaws and we agree on it,” he added. United Gandamra said the Teachers Village inside the MSU is a testament that Meranaws are one in rebuilding their city. “So how are we a ghost city?” the mayor added. The mayor said the big help of the soldiers’ presence and the imposition of martial law in Mindanao by the national government. Marawi was besieged by a five-month armed conflict between government forces and elements of the rebel Maute group and gunmen affiliated with the Islamic State (IS). The clashes resulted in the death of over a thousand people, mostly extremists who were killed in the gun battles and forced thousands out of the city. (PNA)