A government executive on Wednesday said the private sector is just waiting for the dust to settle in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, before it steps in to resuscitate the economy of the besieged municipality.
At the sidelines of a news briefing, Presidential Adviser on Agripreneurship Ana Margarita N. Hontiveros told the BusinessMirror that a number of businessmen have already committed to help the government in the recovery and rehabilitation of Marawi City.
Hontiveros said once the military clears the municipality of Islamist militants, firms under the charity network Kapatid for Marawi will consult with residents and local officials to discuss what specific programs they need to bounce back from the atrocities of war.
“We will have to do a lot of stakeholders’ meetings to find out what it is that they need, what it is that they want to do [and] what is their vision for Marawi City. Once done, we will determine in what areas can the private sector come in and support for the long haul,” she added.
“What we can really do is to open up supply chains there to restart, perhaps jump-start, their economy again,” Hontiveros said.
Kapatid for Marawi, a charity network comprised of various firms, such as LBC Express Inc., Philippine Airlines, RFM Foods Corp. and CDO-Foodsphere Inc., among others, had initially delivered 16 tons of relief items to evacuation sites in Mindanao catering to displaced residents of Marawi City.
Hontiveros added Kapatid for Marawi will continue to supply evacuees with relief items as long as the war is ongoing. However, she assured it does not stop there, as the charity network is keen on working with the government in rebuilding Marawi City.
“Most likely, we will be providing livelihood and employment opportunities for the locals and capacity-building programs for farmers so that their production will increase, so as their capability to supply big market chains,” Hontiveros said.
“Then, of course, because we have companies who have a lot of financial power, Kapatid for Marawi will be there to contribute in infrastructure building, which is really basic in promoting an investment environment within a certain province,” she added.
Hontiveros said she is confident Marawi City can still attract investors in spite of the damages it suffered during the war.
“We should remember that Lanao del Sur, where Marawi City belongs to, is in mainland
Mindanao, a geographical location situated close to developed cities, Iligan City, Cagayan de Oro City and Davao City, which is only eight hours away,” Hontiveros added.
“In terms of taking advantage of an organic path toward economic prosperity, Marawi City is really right smack into the area. We are looking forward and I’m sure the local community and their leaders are also looking forward to rebuilding what has been destroyed in this war,” she added.
Last week the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao announced it will be crafting a
recovery and rehabilitation plan for Marawi City, titled “Unified Plan for Marawi City”, which will run in three phases: early recovery and reconstruction, medium-term construction, and long-term rehabilitation and development.
The plan, according to Gov. Mujiv S. Hataman, is built up on previous efforts on disaster preparedness, prevention and mitigation and response. Development experts from the World Bank said it will assist in the formulation of the plan.