MANILA — The Duterte administration is willing to shoulder the cost — whatever it is — to rehabilitate Marawi, Malacañang said Saturday amid reports that the market value of land in the city has skyrocketed.
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro has said earlier that some landowners have been demanding 10 times their land’s previous acquisition cost.
“The previous market value was PHP500 per square meter, and then, there is an asking price that has reached us, that is PHP5,000 per square meter,” Navarro said in a Palace briefing.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque acknowledged that although this development may hamper Marawi’s rehabilitation, it will not stop it.
“Siyempre po naging mas mahal yung halaga ng pag-rehabilitate ng Marawi. Pero ‘yan naman po ay ina-address ng ating gobyerno at ang mahalaga naman po ay patuloy na umuusad yung rehabilitation ng Marawi (Of course the cost of rehabilitating Marawi has increased but that’s being addressed by the government and what matters is that rehabilitation in Marawi continues),” Roque said in a press briefing in Davao city.
“At kung magkano man ang cost to rehabilitate Marawi, kakayanin po natin ‘yan dahil ang pangako ng Pangulo, pababangunin po niya ang Marawi (Whatever the cost of Marawi’s rehabilitation, we’ll be able to do it because the President promised that Marawi will rise again),” he added.
Roque noted that there are certain laws to ensure that the cost of expropriation will be fair market value.
Expropriation allows government to take private property for a purpose deemed to be in the interest of the public.
“There will have to be determination of what the fair market value would be in Marawi dahil ‘yan po ang nasa batas (because that’s what’s in the law),” Roque said.
He added that the Supreme Court also recognizes that housing is properly within the coverage of eminent domain (expropriation) to claim land in Marawi. (PNA)
