by Divina Suson/PNA
MARAWI CITY — The National Housing Authority (NHA) started on Thursday (February 14) the demolition of structures inside the most affected areas (MAA) here, as part of an inter-agency task to rehabilitate the city.
The demolition of structures, destroyed during the five-month war between government forces and the Islamic State-inspired Maute terrorists, promises a fresh start for a ruined city whose majority of residents remain displaced in temporary shelters.
CJI General Services, a Batangas-based contractor who won the contract to clear sectors 2 to 9 of the MAA, began with the demolition of a ruined property owned by Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra in Osmeña Street in Barangay Sangkay, located inside the Sector 5.
NHA Engr. Ikmat Bantuas said Gandamra’s building is one of the 409 structures whose owners consented to their properties being demolished and cleared.
“Ipapakita natin sa mga residente ang proper way to demolish. We are doing it in a proper manner, may guidelines tayo. Una, dapat nandun ang may-ari during the demolition at second, lahat ng mga concerned agencies ay pumirma para sa demolition permit,” Bantuas said.
(We must show to the residents the proper way to demolish. We are doing it in a proper manner, we have guidelines for it. First, the owners must be present during demolition, and second, all the concerned agencies will sign for the demolition permit).
He added that residents who do not consent to demolition will be respected, but they may not be able to request government assistance should they change their minds later.
There are 6,800 structures inside the 250-hectare MAA, composed of non-habitable, hazardous and partially destroyed houses and buildings, according to the NHA.
The affected structures will be evaluated and identified by the three government agency-members of the Inter-Agency Committee on Debris Clearing (IACDC), which includes the NHA and the local government unit.
Some owners refused to allow demolition of their properties for fear that they may not get them back. However, the Task Force Bangon Marawi has repeatedly assured that all demolished properties will be returned to their rightful owners.
Edsel Alan Manigbas, deputy project manager of CJI, said they expect to finish the demolition works it in eight months–or only four months if the weather condition permits. He also underscored the cooperation of property owners in completing the demolition earlier than scheduled.
He noted that one of the challenges they are facing is time spent on waiting for the owners because they could not proceed with the demolition without the latter’s presence.
