Story & photos by Nonie Reyes | Chief Photographer
LANAO DEL SUR—The effects of last year’s fighting in Marawi City cannot simply be downplayed, especially upon seeing the devastation in what was once one of Mindanao’s most beautiful cities.
On Maundy Thursday, some members of the country’s diplomatic community visited a temporary shelter for evacuees at the Bahay Pag-Asa in Phase 2 of Marawi City’s Barangay Mipaga.
Despite their situation, the war victims’ faces reflected hope and happiness, as they will soon occupy the houses that were built for them by the Tarlac Heritage Foundation and the Chinese-Filipino Business Club (CFBC).
Ambassadors Kok Li Peng of Singapore, Aruni Ranaraja of Sri Lanka, Igor Anatolyevich Khovaev of Russia along with Press Secretary Natalia Naumova, Jaideep Mazumdar of India, Ly Quoc Tuanm of Vietnam, Aman Rashid of Pakistan and Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune of Lao PDR visited the 1-hectare Immediate Shelter and Accommodation housing complex.
Deputy Chief of Mission Urawadee Sriphiromya of the Royal Thai Embassy, who represented Ambassador Thanatip Upatising, accompanied the delegation.
New homes, new hope
THE complex is a permanent housing project as each home is equipped with its own kitchen, toilet and bath facilities. Each house measures 23.765 square meters (sq m).
This is the second set of houses turned over by the foundation and the CFBC.
President Duterte inaugurated the first in Barangay Bito Itowa Buadi in October 2017.
The housing project was completed in partnership with the Philippine Army’s Mechanized Infantry Division, the Second Mechanized Brigade, the First Infantry “Tabak” Division, the 54th Engineer Brigade and the 547 Engineering Combat Battalion.
Cofounder Isa C. Suntay of the Tarlac Heritage Foundation said the Bahay Pag-Asa Phase 2 Immediate Shelter Accommodation project is “a testament to the success of private-public partnerships [PPP].”
Suntay added that the creation of the community complex took into account the welfare, dignity and comfort of the evacuees. The place has a community center, a volleyball court, a basketball court, as well as a children’s playroom and learning center.
For starters, the shelter is also provided with a 500-sq-m Hardin ng Lunas planted with vegetables and medicinal plants that will ensure the comfort of the intended residents.
The diplomats asked to have a photo taken there as they saw that the vegetables were already matured and ready for harvest.
The people living near the area greeted the diplomats with smiles so warm it felt as if they were not affected by the strife.
Diplomats express positivity
ASKED for their thoughts and wishes for the residents, some of the ambassadors responded:
Khaykhamphithoune: “I have seen people affected by [fighting], from the Gulf War and now, again, in Marawi City. This is [extremely saddening]; it’s not easy for them to lose their homes, their belongings, and to be forced to move to other places to stay until they don’t know when.
“But for the project, I think it’s very good: the government, the Army and volunteers came together. I think the displaced people from the crisis should be better off living in Bahay Pag-Asa 2. I saw the people there [and] they seem very happy.”
Mazumdar: “First of all, let me say it’s a very sad experience to visit Marawi City and to see the devastation that has been brought about by terrorism, [as well as] the number of people who have been displaced and whose lives will never be the same again.
“It is very disturbing to see that but, at the same time, I am happy to see a very good PPP like this housing project. It’s a great collaborative effort…to create these shelters. They were created for the people to be able to live with dignity and have a semblance of stability.”
Kok: “I think…Bahay Pag-Asa is an excellent initiative and is being carried out using the best of local products and skills…. It fills the necessary gap in housing of displaced persons. I saw the second project and I like it very much. There is a lot of care and attention that went into the design of the structures, with particular sensitivity to the unique cultural traits of the people of Marawi City.
“I was very saddened by the destruction but I’m confident that the people of Marawi City, with the strong support of the government, will be able to rebuild and make the city even more beautiful than before.”
Ly: “Our diplomatic corps’ Marawi trip to see the Bahay Pag-Asa Phase 2 Project at Barangay Mipaga was very useful and informative. We would like to thank Tarlac Heritage Foundation and the Philippine Army for making this historic trip possible.
“In support of your government’s efforts in Marawi, Vietnam is donating rice [200 metric tons] to the [locals], which I shall be turning over to the representative of the Department of Social Welfare and Development on April 5 in Cagayan de Oro City.”
Rashid: “I am really grateful to the Tarlac Heritage Foundation for organizing a diplomatic visit to its housing project for the internally displaced people of Marawi City, built in partnership with the Philippine Army. The facility is well-planned and built in accordance with the cultural sensitivities of the people. It also provides a clean and comfortable living environment for its intended residents.
“It was disturbing to visit the devastation caused by military action against the terrorists, which converted this beautiful city into ruins. I hope and pray for [its] early rebuilding…so that displaced residents [will be] able to return to their homes with dignity, and that the hustle-and-bustle of a thriving city returns to Marawi.”
Ranaraja: “I fully understand the feelings of the people of Marawi City who have lost their livelihood due to this unfortunate crisis, as I myself come from a country where we went through a civil war for almost 30 years. I am very much aware of the challenges faced by the government to start the rehabilitation and reconstruction work until the affected areas are fully cleared of unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices.
“I was so fortunate to accompany a delegation organized by Tarlac Heritage Foundation to Marawi City to experience the situation on the ground and view the housing project. I was so impressed to see how much details have gone into [it] in order to uplift the morale and to reestablish the livelihood of the people.
“I pray for the people of Marawi City to have strength and courage, to rise above the crisis and begin rebuilding [their hometown] into a place as beautiful as it was before.”
This author shares everyone’s high hopes that the smiles on the faces of the Marawi City residents will signify positivity in the coming days while their hometown rises and shines again—with public and private entities, as well as the global community, coming together for their lasting welfare. He will be there to document and share it with the rest of the world.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes