Marcos: BARMM involvement will speed up Marawi rehabilitation
MARAWI CITY—President Marcos expressed confidence on Monday that the involvement of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will finally speed up the rebuilding of this war-ravaged city after eight years.
“Another new element [in the Marawi reconstruction] is the involvement of the BARMM for funding and [whatever is needed] to accelerate the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi City,” Mr. Marcos told reporters here.
He dropped by four project sites, including temporary learning spaces in Barangay Sagonsongan, where some 720 internally displaced children are attending classes.
August deadline
The President assured the students that they will soon be moving to the Dansalan Integrated School once the new school being built in Barangay Moncado Colony is finished next year.
“I visited Marawi to see our ongoing rehabilitation efforts, I went there to see where the children are. It’s just temporary,” he said, adding that the new school will be able to house between 9,000 and 10,000 students.
“It’s almost finished, except for the perimeter fence,” Mr. Marcos said.
He also visited the Marawi General Hospital, a 100-bed primary care facility in Datu Naga village where he said the government already gave those behind the project up to August this year to complete it. “We are giving contractors and government agencies until August to open the hospital,” he said.
“These improvements should go on. I will come back here and by the time the hospital opens, I want to cut the ribbon in August,” he added.
Another stop was the newly completed Marawi port, which is still being constructed at the City Hall complex in Barangay Fort. Mr. Marcos described it as only one of several ports that will be built around Lake Lanao to establish connectivity and stimulate business and economic activities in the city.
These projects are flagship facilities under the government’s rebuilding program for Marawi, which was left in ruins after a five-month siege by Islamic State-linked militants in 2017. The fighting destroyed structures, mostly in the city center, and displaced almost 400,000 residents.
Enough time has passed
The President expressed exasperation over the delay in Marawi’s rebuilding, saying “enough time has passed” since the devastation of the city eight years ago.
“We have waited long enough. Now is the time to deliver—not promises, but results. The people of Marawi deserve nothing less,” the President said.
In June 2017, a month into the Marawi siege, then President Rodrigo Duterte created “Task Force Bangon Marawi,” an interagency task force to lead the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation program for the city.
Headed by former housing czar Eduardo del Rosario, the task force’s functions included deploying a quick response team, conducting a post-conflict needs assessment of Marawi, constructing temporary and/or permanent shelters for displaced persons and providing an environment conducive to the revival of business and livelihood activities.
In May 2022, data from the task force showed that only 72 percent of the rehab projects and recovery efforts had been accomplished.
In December 2023, Mr. Marcos abolished the task force and instead ordered regular line agencies to hasten the city’s rehabilitation.
In November 2024, he issued Executive Order No. 78, creating the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Marawi Rehabilitation and Development to “integrate, coordinate and accelerate the implementation” of efforts for the city’s development, rebuilding and the restoration of peace and order. —WITH REPORTS FROM MELVIN GASCON AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
