Japan provides 150 more permanent houses to Marawi residents

The Japanese government has turned over a total of 150 permanent houses to the residents of Barangay Makilala in Marawi City as part of its contributions to help the war-torn southern Philippine city get back on its feet.

The turnover was formalized in a virtual ceremony last Friday led by Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko and other Philippine officials, including Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) chairman and Department of Human Settlements and Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo D. Del Rosario.

The turnover was the third phase in a collaboration project between the Japanese government and UN-Habitat Philippines.

Last February, 109 houses in Barangay Dulay West were turned over in the first phase while 170 permanent houses in Darussalam Village and Pamayandeg sa Ranaw Residences at Dansalan were turned over for the second phase in July.

The project stemmed from Japan's P500-million grant in support of UN-Habitat's program to provide shelter and livelihood support to victims of the Marawi siege.

The turnover ceremony and the project are part of the Japanese government's commitment to the Marawi rehabilitation and support for the Mindanao Peace Process.

Four years after the siege in 2017, only 113 homes have been reoccupied in Marawi City’s most affected areas. Over 4,000 residents still stay in temporary shelters to this day.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared Marawi liberated from terrorist influence on October 17, 2017, after a five-month battle between government troops and Maute rebels killed more than a thousand people and left the once bustling city in ruins.

Officials have promised to complete the rehabilitation of the city before Duterte steps down from the presidency on June 30, 2022. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/KBK, GMA News