By EJ Roque/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte commended the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) for building resilient housing units for the victims of Marawi siege in 2017.
“Your office (HUDCC) is one of those performing na maganda ‘yung housing ninyo (housing is really good). Pati ‘yung sa mga sundalo (Including those of the soldiers),” Duterte said during a situational briefing at the Provincial Capitol in San Fernando City, Pampanga on Tuesday.
“But the thing I admired most was the speed that you built the houses in Marawi,” he added.
Duterte particularly lauded HUDCC Chairman Eduardo del Rosario for helping the Marawi residents including informal settlers rise from ruins caused by a five-month armed conflict between government troops and Islamic State-affiliated terrorist Maute group.
“Yung mga (Those) informal settlers, the squatters so to speak, ‘yung ginawa ni del Rosario (what del Rosario did) was really good. It’s sturdy, it can stand another whatever,” Duterte said.
“Tapos sabagay man-made naman ang calamity doon (Then anyway calamity there was man-made). It was bound to happen because of what they were doing there,” he added.
The President said he is not keen on funding the reconstruction of the buildings of rich residents in Marawi City.
“Marami man ‘yang pera ‘yang mga tao diyan (Those people have a lot of money). Every Maranao, there is a businessman, kasali na ‘yang shabu (including shabu). May pera sila (They have money). The debate there is whether I would also be building the same kind that they lost. I don’t think I am ready for that,” he added.
Duterte, meanwhile, underscored the need for the government to build elevated housing units with sufficient amenities.
“I think it has to be an elevated one. A little bit higher than the usual,” he said.
Before attending the situation briefing, Duterte inspected some areas badly damaged by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck parts of Luzon particularly Pampanga on Monday (April 22).
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