Groundbreaking for rehabilitation of Marawi’s former battle zone moved to August

The groundbreaking for the rehabilitation of the former battle zone in Marawi City has been moved to third or fourth week of August due to the delay in the selection of the private developer that will be tasked to rebuild the area.

Groundbreaking for the rehabilitation of the 250-hectare most affected area was initially set for the third week of June. It was then pushed to July.

Negotiations between the inter-agency Task Force Bangon Marawi with the Bangon Marawi Consortium on the development plan for ground zero, however, fell through because the Filipino-Chinese consortium failed the financial, technical, and legal requirements.

The task force is now negotiating with  Power Construction Corporation of China or PowerChina.

“With this new development, we could not undertake the groundbreaking this month,” said Housing Secretary and Task Force Bangon Marawi chairperson Eduardo del Rosario at a news conference in Malacañang on Thursday.

“This will not affect the target date of completion which is the last quarter of 2021,” he said.

Should there be a successful negotiation, PowerChina’s proposal will be subjected to Swiss challenge which allows other interested developers to give counter proposals for the project covering Marawi's ground zero that is composed of 24 out of 96 barangays in the city.

The government aims to finish by December 2021 the rehabilitation of the most affected area that was leveled by five-month fighting between government troops and Maute rebels last year.

Among the infrastructure and facilities to be built on the ground zero are ports and wharves within Lanao Lake, schools, and wider road networks with underground utilities for power, water, and telecommunication similar to the design of Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Also to be built are sewage treatment plants, convention center, museum, parking building, peace memorial park, market, sanitary landfill, and lakeside promenade.

The task force said Gomisa Avenue will be transformed into a pedestrian street to create a commercial center similar to the bustling shopping district of Myeong-dong in Seoul, South Korea.

Around P72 billion to P75 billion would have to be spent to rebuild Marawi and the towns of Butig and Piagapo in Lanao del Sur based on government estimates. — RSJ, GMA News