Filtered By: Topstories
News

Palace: EO for Marawi City rehab program for Duterte signature


The executive order mandating the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City is awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte, a Malacañang official announced Saturday.

"According to Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana, ‘yung proposal po of the DND (Department of National Defense)-led recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation program for Marawi, or it’s called 'Bangon Marawi' is already with the Office of the Executive Secretary awaiting submission to the President," presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in an interview with state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

"The proposed package amounting to P10 billion as surmised by the President will be a multi-agency effort including DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), DepEd (Department of Education), DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), DOE (Department of Energy), DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), among other," Abella said.

The Palace official noted that the "Bangon Marawi" program is in conjunction with the Disaster Risk Reduction Cluster.

"It should take a minimum of six months and may begin after clearing the city, which should take about at least one to two weeks," Abella said.

He added that Marawi's rehabilitation program will be undertaken by the Engineering Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the auspices to be named undersecretary with the expressed purpose of bringing back residents and normal everyday life as soon as possible.

"Meanwhile, the Central Business District, according to Secretary Lorenzana, will have to undergo more detailed clearing in order to ensure citizens’ safety," he said.

"We assure you that the President is deeply concerned for the city, the region and the island’s well-being and is very hands-on to ensure that normalcy will be restored at the soonest possible time and serve people’s aspirations for a comfortable life for all," he added.

Abella also took note that the DND was the main agency tasked to spearhed the rehabilitation efforts because it has an "engineering battalion."

"Because ‘yung kanilang engineering battalion may be readily ano po, may be readily dispersed in order to implement whatever plans that the other agencies may have — may have agreed — may agree upon," he said.

"Of course, they will be working very closely with [National Disaster] Risk Reduction Management [Council]. But basically po because they have the wherewithal in order to implement the rehabilitation plan, which the President wants to be done as soon as possible," he added. —John Ted Cordero/ALG, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT