PH flag to be raised in Marawi June 12 — local execs

Philippine flag (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

ILIGAN CITY – As the country commemorates its 119th independence on Monday (June 12), village leaders of Marawi City are joining government officials and the state security forces in raising the
Philippine flag at the Lanao del Sur provincial capitol.

Norhanie Marohombsar, the city director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Marawi, said on Sunday, even with fighting continuing in some parts of the city, they would push
through with the plan to raise the Philippine flag.

The military earlier said it hoped to “liberate” Marawi from the Islamic State-inspired terrorists by June 12.

Marohombsar said they had gathered almost all of Marawi City’s barangay chairs on Sunday in a hotel in Iligan to brief them about the flagraising activity.

She said they have gotten in touch with all of the barangay officials of Marawi through calls and text messages, but not all of them were able to attend the meeting since some have relocated to other areas
such as Cagayan de Oro and Lanao del Norte.

“All of the Marawi barangay officials are accounted for,” Marohombsar said, adding that none of them were killed in the conflict.

Identification cards were also issued by the DILG to the village chiefs and several of their volunteers.

Wahab Dia, chairman of Barangay Lumbac Marinaut, expressed hope that Marawi could finally be cleared of extremist armed men so people could return to the city and restart their lives.

Lumbac Marinaut is a village of more than a thousand residents.

Dia is anxious to assess the damage brought by the attacks by the Maute and Abu Sayyaf gunmen.

The government has allocated P10 billion purposely to rehabilitate
Marawi, with the Department of National Defense leading the initiative in the rebuilding the city ravaged by the more than two weeks of ground battle and airstrikes.

Dia expressed hope Lumbac Marinaut could avail of the rehabilitation package so that residents whose properties were destroyed by bullets and bombs could be compensated and infrastructure could be rebuilt. SFM