DISPLACED Marawi City residents will have to wait 12 to 18 more months before they can start rebuilding their homes in the war-torn city.
Assistant Secretary Felix Castro Jr., field office manager of the Task Force Bangon Marawi, said it would take that long to complete the rehabilitation of Marawi.
Castro said the government has yet to come up with a "final" master development plan for the city, but rehabilitation will go full swing as scheduled on June 15.
"At the middle of June, we could start the rehabilitation," Castro said.
"All the inputs from the stakeholders will be studied [and] considered. And there will be a final plan, final cost. Then there will be negotiation in the government... We do not want to hasten (the planning) in such a way that the plan was not good and does not consider the concerns of the stakeholders," he added.
During the rehabilitation, Castro assured the residents that private properties in Marawi will not be touched and demolished.
"We will not touch their property. The only property that might be touched with their permission is during the widening of the road. There are selected roads that have been agreed upon that this needs to be widened. The owners will be consulted and they will be paid by the government," he said.
"We will also not demolish private properties without their request. They have to inform us that they want their properties to be included in the debris clearing because part of the requirement for the developer that will be chosen is to clear the debris initially of government properties, government buildings," he added.
He appealed for patience among the displaced residents, saying the developers need to work "free and unhampered" in clearing the debris, developing a sewage system, providing electricity, and expanding roads in the war-torn city.
"We have requested and explained to the residents that we need time for the developers to do first the debris clearing. It's a very tedious task using big equipment, big machineries. It will be dangerous for people to also be there will debris clearing is being undertaken," he said in a press conference in Marawi City Wednesday, May 23.
"It will also be faster if the developer will work free and unhampered. The sooner that will be finished, the sooner that the residents can also start building their homes," the government official added.
Marawi was devastated after Maute fighters inspired by the global terror group Islamic State (IS) occupied several buildings, took hostages and engaged government troops in armed conflict on May 23, 2017.
The hostilities lasted five months. Authorities declared an end to combat operations in Marawi on October 23, 2017, less than a week after President Rodrigo Duterte declared its liberation from the terrorists.
Marawi, situated in Lanao del Sur province on the southern island of Mindanao, was destroyed as the military launched air and ground offensives against the terrorists. More than 1,000 lives were lost and over 200,000 residents were displaced by the conflict.
Revealing the government's plan to close evacuation centers within the year, Castro said the government is "rushing" the construction of temporary homes that could house the affected residents.
"It will be continuing construction of temporary shelters so for those who are in evacuation centers could be transfered where they can wait for the chance to reconstruct their residence," he said.
Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Jesus Dureza, who joined Castro in the press conference, asked for public's patience, with regard to Marawi's rehabilitation and reconstruction, saying that there is "no magic formula" to complete it "overnight."
"This is not yet the stage where we are already satisfied. We are working. The government is doing its best to restore as much as possible what was destroyed. I think we are on the road," Dureza said.
"We'd like to call on all those who had gone through suffering to please be patient. There's no magic forumula here. There's no reconstruction that will happen overnight. There will be a lot of challenges. Not everybody will agree. There will be contrary voices and feelings, but it is very important to let the government know what we want," he added.
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong, who also attended the press briefing, said the government's top priorities are to focus on "reconstruction; education; livelihood and business; security, and peace and order; and social services including medical services" in Marawi. (SunStar Philippines)