The Marawi Reconstruction Conflict Watch (MRCW) has called on the government to fast-track the rehabilitation plan for Marawi City that was devastated two years ago.
The MRCW made a statement following the filing of House Resolutions 377 and 470 by Leyte Rep. Lucy Marie Torres-Gomez, Deputy Speaker Mujiv S. Hataman and Rep. Amihilda J. Sangcopan calling for an inquiry in aid of legislation on all disbursed funds, as well as on the status of the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi City.
The group said there is “not enough” government support to expedite the revival of operations of private institutions that have long provided these services to a large percentage of the city’s population.
It said, questions on land and property rights and, the clamor for just compensation, including for private properties and commercial establishments, are “not given adequate attention and importance.”
The MRCW is a local multi-stakeholder group of professionals, experts and network leaders that helps to ensure that the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi City is inclusive and conflict-proof.
“We agree with the [House Committee on Disaster Management] that the implementation of the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan [BMCRRP] will be the standard for official responses to similar human-induced disasters in the future and, thus, requires strict review and oversight,” it said.
“It is our right as people of Marawi to be informed accurately of the progress of the rehabilitation of our beloved city,” it added.
Progress
According to MRCW, the general sentiment of the Maranaos is that there is “very little progress” in the actual rebuilding of Marawi City.
“There is confusion on the ground regarding discrepancies between proposed plans and actual projects, and services delivered. The lack of transparency and public accountability of the TFBM [Task Force Bangon Marawi] and relevant agencies brings uncertainty, insecurity, and frustration to the IDPs [internally displaced people] and fuels the people’s despair and anger toward the government,” it said.
“Current response to the needs of the people, especially basic ones, such as health, education and livelihood, also has been wanting,” it added.
Moreover, the group called on the TFBM to be more proactive and forthcoming in their reporting of the real progress of the BMCRRP.
“The MRCW commits to facilitate an active feedback loop on the ground by gathering firsthand information through its monitoring platforms on the people’s experience of the BMCRRP implementation and by sharing these to the Task Force, relevant agencies and Congress,” it said.
“It is by surfacing critical information, risks and issues that local citizens have, regarding the rehabilitation, that will help ensure that government decisions and strategies truly respond to the needs of the people,” it added.
The group also called on the government to provide urgent support that will allow private health facilities, learning institutions and businesses to resume service. This includes subsidizing required permits, and relaxing some rules and requirements in granting their permits to operate.
“It is also toward this need that the Marawi Compensation Bill discussion should take precedence,” it said.
Appeal
Hataman has appealed to the Palace not to allow the more than P4 billion unreleased Marawi rehabilitation funds to expire and revert back to the national coffers, calling it “a great travesty of justice.”
Instead, Hataman said Malacañang, through TFBM, should find ways to “save” the 2018 funds from expiring, as this would consequently deny the victims of the 2017 Marawi Siege the justice that they have been painstakingly looking for over two years now.
“We are appealing on behalf of Marawi, of Maranaos, of its people, to preserve more than P4 billion in funds intended for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the city. Now, more than ever, the rehabilitation efforts in Marawi is under a rigorous lens of scrutiny because of delays in the past,” Hataman said.
Hataman, citing reports, said that the P5.1 billion funds for the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program (MRRRP) in the national budget for 2018, only 17 percent or P871.7 million had been released as of last November. Currently, there is pending legislation to extend the validity of the 2019 budget until December 2020, but no measure yet to address the expiring 2018 funds.
“We should carefully study extending the validity of the 2018 Marawi funds,” he said.
If, by any chance, the TFBM could preserve and still use the unreleased funds beyond December, Hataman urged the inter-government agency to “get its act together” and ensure that the funds will be used according to its purpose and on time.
“While we hear the Marawi Compensation Bill here in Congress, we hope that the TFBM would step up its game and work double time for the people of Marawi. Madami pang kailangang gawin, and the more we delay the rehabilitation, the longer we deny the people justice,” the Basilan legislator said.
Image credits: AP/Bullit Marquez
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