MARAWI CITY—A more liveable place equipped with modern infrastructure will rise from this city’s ruins, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque assured during a media briefing here Wednesday.
Roque said the plan includes the widening of downtown roads from two lanes to four, the installation of an underground electric cable system, and the transformation of the Agus River as a prime tourist attraction.
Describing the magnitude of the destroyed areas to be rehabilitated, Roque said that infrastructure works will focus on some 200 to 250 hectares “ground zero,” which consists of 25 Barangays.
The presidential spokesman presented the government’s rehabilitation plan to the media along with officials of several national line agencies involved in rebuilding Marawi.
Roque aid the government’s housing program will accommodate not only those who lost their houses to the war, but also families who didn’t own homes even before the May 22 Maute siege erupted.
A housing complex consisting of 6,300 temporary units will be built on an area some three kilometers away from the main battle zone, while around 2,700 housing will be built for the city’s homeless families.
Roque added that government will also provide financial assistance to families who already have land but couldn’t afford to build their own dwelling, including those whose houses were damaged by the war.
No less than President Roodrigo Duterte will lead the turnover of some 500 initial housing units in mid-December, Roque said.
Prior to Wednesday’s press briefing, Roque and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Secretary Eduado Del Rosario graced the groundbreaking ceremony for the housing project intended for the faculty and employees of the Mindanao State University.
Sec. Del Rosario said the government will construct around 1,000 housing units for MSU employees and 100 for the university’s executives.
Del Rosario and Roque assured local stakeholders that the government’s rehabilitation effort will consider the religious beliefs and customs of the residents, and that regular consultation will be held to get the pulse of the local populace. (PNA/Irma S. Boza)
