Robredo: It is a ‘good sign’ that demolition work has started in Marawi City

MARAWI CITY— Vice President Leni Robredo said it is a good sign that the demolition of damaged structures here has finally started although residents had wished that the rebuilding and rehabilitation efforts could have been done much faster.

“Kung ang tatanungin kasi iyong mga tao dito, the quicker it is, the better for them, ‘di ba? Mas mabilis, mas gusto nila (If you ask people here, the quicker it is, the better for them, right? They want it faster,” Robredo said during her visit here on Friday, June 28, to lead the turn-over of school buildings from the private partners of  Angat Buhay Foundation.

Marawi City was devastated by clashes in 2017, when government troops fought to overcome the Islamic State-inspired Maute forces who had taken control over some sections of the city.

Robredo said it was a good sign that after more than two years, the rehabilitation of the city has finally started.

“I was here last April, eh, so medyo dalawang buwan iyong nakaraan tapos nakabalik ulit ako. Iyon ang napansin ko ngayon, mayroon nang mga demolition na nangyayari (and in about two months, here I am again, and that’s what I noticed now, that demolition has started),” the Vice President said when asked if she was satisfied by the pace of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the damaged infrastructure, houses and buildings within the 250,000-hectare area, where most of the fighting and destruction happened.

Robredo also led the turn-over of 12 units of transitory shelter at Area 7 of Bahay Ng Pagbabago transitory shelter site in Barangay Sagonsongan.

She said she wanted the city to be back to normal as soon as possible.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) reported that as of first week of June, there were already 329 of 6,435 structures inside the most affected area that were demolished. The figure included 44 school buildings.

A total of 2,079 structures were cleared of unexploded ordnance (UXO) but of these number, only 1,329 had consent from the owners and demolition permit from the city’s Office of the Building Official.

Housing Secretary and Task Force Bangor Marawi (TFBM) Chair Eduardo Del Rosario said in a consultation with evacuees in March this year that displaced residents from sector 1, covering Barangays Tolali and Daguduban, would already be allowed to go back to their area and start building their houses by September this year.  (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)