Gov’t estimates P51.6B needed to rehabilitate Marawi

Some P51.6 billion would have to be spent for the rehabilitation of Marawi City and nearby towns devastated by the five-month fighting between government forces and ISIS-inspired militants last year, a disaster management official said on Friday.

Results of the post-conflict needs assessment conducted in Marawi City and the towns of Butig and Piagapo in Lanao del Sur from August to December last year show that damages and losses stood at P18.2 billion, Office of Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Kristoffer James Purisima said at a press briefing in Malacañang.

At least P10 billion has been allotted this year for the rehabilitation works subject to augmentation from other sources which may include development partners and the private sector.

"We have short term PPAs (projects, programs and activities) which cover this year or perhaps until 2019," Purisima said.

"But definitely we have projects until 2022 and these are all being planned and these are all going to be part of the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Recovery Program or the CRRP of Marawi which we expect to be release by the end of the first quarter or in March," he added. 

Purisima said the actual groundwork for the development of the most affected area, composed of 24 barangays, could begin by mid-April or May even as the process of selecting a developer continued.

Nearly 61,000 families remain in evacuation centers months after the siege ended in October last year that left at least 1,000 people dead, according to Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of Joint Task Force Ranao.

The government is set to build around 6,400 temporary shelters and 2,700 permanent shelters for displaced Marawi residents.

So far, Brawner said 850 temporary shelters, each with a floor area of 22 square meters, have been completed.

Thirty-seven temporary learning spaces would also be constructed for students.

"Our partners have actually provided us the materials for the construction of the temporary learning spaces starting next week," Department of Education Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service Director Ronilda Co said in the same briefing.

"This is about 37 temporary learning spaces for the students to, for us to ensure the learning continuity of our students whose families will actually be transferred there," she said. —NB, GMA News