Marawi’s full rehab impossible in a short term; work must continue – Robredo

FILE PHOTO: Soldiers patrol the streets near the heavily damaged Bato Ali Mosque in Marawi City after the military defeated Islamic State-linked groups that laid siege to the Lanao del Sur capital in May 2017. —(Photo by RICHEL V. UMEL / Inquirer Mindanao)

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo said Monday that while the total rehabilitation of Marawi may be impossible in a short period, there must be no letting up on efforts to rebuild the war-torn city.

Following a meeting with her supporters in the area, Robredo was asked by members of the media about her plans for Marawi’s rehabilitation in case she wins the 2022 presidential election. In response, Robredo said the massive restoration of the city may not be finished in just six years but she assured rehab work would continue as she also aims to empower the people of Marawi.

“Ako, tingin ko hindi kaya sa kaunting panahon iyong plano for Marawi kasi napakarami. Pero iyong sa akin, ang pinaka-buod noong plano, bigyan ng mas maraming boses iyong mga taga-rito. Bigyan ng mas maraming boses iyong taga-rito pagdating sa compensation bill, pagdating sa proseso sa lahat ng ginagawa para sa rehabilitation after the Marawi siege,” she told reporters.

(I think that the extensive plan for the rehabilitation of Marawi may not be completed in a short period. But for me, the gist of the plan is to give a stronger voice to the people here. They should be heard in terms of the compensation bill, for the process of everything that is being done for the rehabilitation after the Marawi siege.)

“Ang pinaka-dream natin dito and ito iyong pinagtatrabahuan natin since ako umupo, iyong masiguro na iyong mga pinaka-basic sectors dito ma-empower at mabigyan ng boses. Kasi iyon lang iyong tanging paraan para iyong mga saloobin nila magkaroon ng platform na kabahagi sila sa pamamahala,” she added.

(Our ultimate dream for this place, and this is what we have been working on since I assumed the vice presidency, is to make sure that the basic sectors here will be empowered and given the voice. Because it is the only way for their sentiments to have the platform that they are part of governance.)

Robredo also stressed that work in Marawi, which was forced into a war zone when Islamic State-sympathizers belonging to the Maute group besieged the area in May 2017, must be a whole-of-government approach in order to get to the root causes of the insurgency problem which is lack of people empowerment and poverty.

“Napakaraming kailangang gawin dito pero dapat kasi siya whole-of-government approach. Hindi siya puwedeng hiwa-hiwalay […] Alam natin kung ano iyong ugat ng lahat na problema rito. At iyong ugat ng lahat na problema rito iyong kakulangan talaga ng empowerment, iyong poverty,”

(There are many things to do here but we should have a whole of government approach.  We cannot do it separately.  We all know what is the root of all problems here, and the root of all these things is the lack of empowerment, the poverty.)

“So dapat iyong programa, lahat iyon ma-address. Hindi siya puwedeng i-address na parang mas reactive lang tayo. Ang dapat na pag-address sa problema rito babalikan kung ano iyong root cause ng mga problema at iyon iyong ayusin. Kasi ano pa man iyong gastusin mo rito, kung hindi mo mabalikan iyong root cause ng lahat na problema, babalik at babalik lang iyong problema,” she added.

(So the program should address all those problems. It can’t be addressed in such a way that we are merely reactive. The way to address the problem here is to go back to the root cause of the problem and fix it. Because no matter how much you spend here, if you won’t address all the root causes of the problem, the problem will just happen again and again.)

For a long time, Robredo has been advocating Marawi’s rehabilitation, even calling out the government in the past for its slow-paced restoration efforts.

During the third anniversary of the Marawi City siege in 2020, the Vice President said that it has taken the government too long to rebuild the city, adding that President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration must be transparent about where the money for its rehabilitation went.

READ: Robredo urges faster recovery of Marawi City on 3rd anniversary of siege

READ: Robredo checks on temporary shelters for displaced Marawi families

Last July, Duterte admitted that the rehabilitation of Marawi is still incomplete, asking the task force to fast-track the works.

The people of Marawi have longed for the rebuilding of their city, insisting that the issue should be among the main topics in the 2022 national elections.

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