Marcos wants faster rehab in Marawi especially on power, water, housing

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. —PPA POOL

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered faster rehabilitation efforts—specifically on electricity, water, and housing—in Marawi City.

Marcos gave the order to the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Marawi Rehabilitation Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. during a sectoral meeting on Tuesday.

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“You seem to have solutions to most of the issues. ‘Yun na lang, ‘yung installation of the power, and I think, more importantly, ‘yung tubig. (Just that, the installation of the power, and I think, more importantly, the water.) We have to get that done as quickly as possible,” Marcos said.

“Wala tayong magagawa ‘pag walang water supply. ‘Yung brownout, you can live with it. ‘Yung walang tubig, hindi talaga,” he added.

(We can’t do anything if there’s no water supply. You can live with a brownout. But having no water, you really can’t.)

Pangandaman, for his part, explained to Marcos that there was a delay in the implementation of the Bulk Water Supply Project by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) in the war-torn city due to legal challenges.

He said the issue is being addressed by the government and that the LWUA vowed to finish the project before the year ends.

Pangandaman also said the previous administration’s deal with some private landowners to use their property for five years pending the construction of permanent shelters has already lapsed.

With this, Marcos ordered Pangandaman to seek contract extensions from private landowners to accommodate the victims.

Pangandaman said they would work with local government units regarding this.

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Marcos, during the meeting, mentioned that now is the right time to adopt a more systematic approach to the Marawi recovery efforts, following the issuance of Administrative Order 14, Series of 2023.

This order institutionalized the rehabilitation efforts in the city and streamlined the functions of implementing government agencies involved.