The rebuilt Bato Ali Mosque in Marawi City. (Richel V. Umel)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. voiced his commitment to the rebuilding of Marawi City during his second State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday.
The city, devastated by a five-month-long siege in 2017, is beginning to regain vitality, according to Marcos.
“(Six) years after the intense conflict, Marawi City is set to rise again,” he said, adding, “The community’s vibrancy is being restored. Numerous projects have been completed, and infrastructure is being built.”
A bloody siege in 2017 forced over 100,000 residents from their homes in Marawi, a predominantly Muslim city.
The siege, which began on May 23, 2017, lasted for five months, marking the Philippine military’s most challenging and prolonged conflict since World War II.
A once picturesque lakeside town, much of Marawi was reduced to rubble in 154 days of air strikes and artillery by the military, along with booby traps laid by rebels.
The conflict resulted in the deaths of hundreds of militants, 165 military personnel, and at least 45 civilians.
(This article was produced with the aid of AI and reviewed by an editor.)
With a report from Reuters
MORE: Marawi completes key infrastructure projects 6 years after siege