By Brian Campued
Eight years after an armed conflict devastated Marawi City in 2017, rehabilitation efforts spearheaded by the government continue in the metropolis to help its residents recover and rebuild their lives.
Siblings Aslainie and Asmar Ayobkhan are among the students displaced by the five-month Marawi Siege that destroyed their home as well as their school. To continue their classes, temporary learning spaces (TLS) were built in Barangay Sagonsongan.
Access to a stable and reliable internet connection, however, continues to challenge their hunger for learning.
“Sobrang hirap ng internet, kailangan muna naming humingi ng pera sa parents namin para maka-WiFi din, pumupunta muna kami sa town para magka-signal din,” Aslainie said in an interview with the People’s Television Network.
The gap in terms of digital connectivity in Marawi City is also experienced firsthand by teachers, whose instructional materials were only limited to print materials.
“Very important sa education, educational process ’yong teknolohiya,” elementary school teacher Sahriah Ibrahim pointed out.
Students and teachers now do not have to go to great lengths to have access to stable and reliable internet connectivity, as the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. brought satellite-based internet in Marawi City as part of its efforts to meet the digital education needs in underserved communities.
On Monday, the President witnessed the distribution of Starlink internet units, laptops, and school bags and supplies to displaced learners and teachers at a TLS site in Marawi City—renewing his government’s commitment to focus on education as a cornerstone in the rehabilitation and recovery of conflict-affected communities.
With the installation of a Starlink internet device in Bangon Elementary School, teacher Faraidah Jamal underscored that educators and learners will both benefit from the faster connection.
“Very different po, especially ngayon is malakas na ’yong connection, mapapadali ’yong trabaho namin,” she said. “To our President Fedinand Bongbong Marcos, we are forever grateful for this Starlink [internet unit].”
For the residents in the once war-torn city, their hearts are filled with nothing but joy and optimism—that their road to a progressive and recovered Marawi will come sooner. (with report from Janessa Felix / PTV Davao)
