DAVAO CITY – President Rodrigo Duterte named Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Eduardo del Rosario, chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), to keep the round running in the reconstruction of Marawi City.
He said if something goes wrong like what happened in the Leyte rehabilitation from the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda, Lorenzana and Del Rosario would take the blame.
Duterte said he wanted Lorenzana and Del Rosario on top to avoid circuitous coordination process between government agencies in the implementation of the rehabilitation projects in Marawi.
“The Defense Department is the overall entity. It should be Defense Secretary Lorenzana. Marami naman ‘yan siyang mga undersecretaries (He has many undersecretaries). They can work out something for Marawi. Then it goes to one single person,” Duterte said.
According to the President, there were many proposals in the Cabinet which he overruled as he he hates committees.
“Mauubos lang ang pera diyan (It will just deplete the money),” he said.
“So from the table of the Defense Secretary, it goes to one person, COO and that is General Ed del Rosario. Si Del Rosario ang tawagin niya if he needs something from DPWH. (Lorenzana will call Del Rosario if he needs something from DPWH),” the President explained.
He emphasized that all Secretaries are under orders to report to del Rosario in matters about Marawi, including financing.
“I’m not saying that there was a disaster. Another disaster that happened in Leyte and that was the loss of about everything pati pera, pati tao, cynic na (the money, people have become cynic),” he stressed.
“So I can assign you, being the Undersecretary or sinong gusto (whoever wants) but it will be under the supervision of one man. So that ‘pagka pumalpak, si del Rosario ‘yan. (if it fails, it’s Del Rosario),” he said.
If it’s not in accordance with policy, Duterte said Lorenzana would answer for them.
“I only have one straight line. Ang mga assistant (The assistants), DPWH, call the Undersecretary. No need for a committee. Just tell him. Tell your Secretary that is what is needed there,” he further said.
Duterte said the Marawi rehab would be the top agenda for the next Cabinet meeting.
“Pero (But) we will jumpstart the project and it is there already and I said, we will be discussing it, making it the first issue in the agenda,” the President said.
On the issue of housing wherein the site is reportedly problematic because it is a military reservation, the President said the military is ready to give way.
“Just give them a little bit of space where they can conduct everything they should know about soldiering. Palagay ko naman (I guess) they are not ready to claim so many areas there,” he said.
This developed as Duterte foresees Marawi as the center of moderation and tolerance as the place is of mixed culture and religion citing the presence of a Catholic Church, church workers, and priest, who was even taken hostage by the Maute terrorists during the start of the siege.
The President wants the Marawi proper for the Moro people.
“The Moro will have to, you know, clean up the place and they can have it,” he said.
An area in front of Marawi, Duterte wants to create a new camp for one regiment or one division within the vicinity of the greater Marawi area.
During his departure to Japan, Duterte bared that Japan has advanced the news that they will help in rebuilding Marawi. So with China, who is already sending some of their equipment to Marawi.
But Duterte said he has yet to talk to the Cabinet first and then seek clearance and the concurrence of the Senate if we could.
As for the government, it has initially allocated P5-billion which will be spent until the end of the year for the rehabilitation. The big chunk of the funds will be allotted for the relief efforts and building of transitional shelters.
The office of Civil Defense earlier reported that there are more than 72,000 families still housed in evacuation centers as well as those who are home-based.
The National Housing Authority (NHA) plans to build at least 1,100 transitional shelters within the year for the Marawi City evacuees. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
