Most families of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Marawi City’s most affected area (MAA) are likely to start year 2022 rebuilding or repairing their homes.
This, after Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) Chairman Secretary Eduardo del Rosario and Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra agreed to expedite the release of building permits to about 1,500 applicants and allow them to rebuild their homes.
“Basically, complete na ang documentation, ’yung go signal na lang ng office of building official ang hinihintay,” Secretary del Rosario said, noting the meticulous process the local government unit (LGU) is observing to ensure safety and establish legal ownership of properties to avoid future dispute.
“Hopefully by the third week of December, this can be cleared already. And we expect that by January [2022], we can expect that hundreds or even a thousand can already start the construction or repair of their houses,” he stated.
Out of the more than 2,200 who applied for building permits, 300 plus are now repairing their houses, while 1,500 are awaiting go signal from the LGU.
“Basically, their applications are already complete and the LGU is ready to release the building permits pending final inspection and assessment to determine the structural integrity of the structures,” the TFBM chief explained.
Del Rosario and Mayor Gandamra agreed to create several teams to conduct simultaneous final assessment and inspection of the subject structures in Sectors 4 to 7 to allow the IDPs to start rebuilding their homes.
So far, TFBM has allowed the return of IDPs from Sectors 1 to 3—composed of three barangays out of the 24 situated inside MAA or the ground zero.
Del Rosario also said he remains optimistic that all projects within the Marawi City’s rehabilitation plan will be completed despite numerous challenges, particularly the weather condition. He said the ongoing massive rebuilding work is expected to be completed at least 95 percent by June 2022.
“I am certain that we can finish at least 95 percent of all major infra projects by June 2022, and I can assure everyone that the few remaining projects will surely be completed because they are already funded and being implemented by the concerned agencies,” he stressed.
During latest project update briefing, officials from the various implementing agencies have cited the almost daily downpour in Marawi City as the biggest challenge hampering the rehabilitation efforts. They claimed that rains resulted in the delayed pouring of concrete and prolong the curing period for concrete structures.