Marawi ‘tent city’ to rise soon

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is preparing 11 hectares of land in Marawi City to be converted into a “tent city” for residents displaced by the ongoing clashes there.

The DPWH regional office will be grading the surface of a vacant lot in Barangay Sagonsongan, which will be turned into a transition shelter for evacuees.

“It will be cemented. It will have a madrasah, kitchen area, wash room, market, mosque, water supply, toilets, a multi-purpose hall and 5,000 tents,” said Khalil Sultan, engineer of the DPWH Lanao del Norte 1st District.

Sultan’s office was tasked with helping build the transition shelter.

The vacant lot is owned by Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra.

The tent city will be put up for evacuees who will have to stay a bit longer before going back to their homes, since it might take up to a year for the military to complete its operations in Marawi City.

More than 400,000 residents have fled their homes due to the ongoing clashes between government troops and the Maute terrorist group since May 23.