President Rodrigo Duterte may not have mentioned it in his State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, but the reconstruction of war-torn Marawi City has not stopped amid the COVID-19 pandemic, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Thursday.
Addressing House Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman and other critics, Roque said at a press briefing that the government “did not stop in its efforts to ensure that Marawi will rise from what happened a few years ago.”
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Hataman said the President could have also mentioned measures to uplift the lives of Marawi City residents affected by the 2017 siege on the city by members of the Islamic State-affiliated Maute group.
No deadline?
The lawmaker said Mr. Duterte could have given a deadline for Marawi City’s rehabilitation, the same way he gave an ultimatum to telecommunications firms to improve their services by year’s end, otherwise the government would take over their services.
Other lawmakers also expressed concern that Marawi City’s rehabilitation may no longer be a priority since it was not mentioned at all in the Sona.
Anak Mindanao party list Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan said Mindanaoans were expecting a statement on Marawi City’s infrastructure development, but ended up being disappointed. Displaced residents were unable to return to their homes because of the slow rehabilitation, she said.