PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed an order for the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi City and other affected localities, Malacañang said Monday.
Administrative Order 03, creating “Task Force Bangon Marawi,” was signed by Duterte on June 28 to ensure a “unified and comprehensive effort” for the recovery of the war-torn city following the clashes between government troops and extremist forces.
“Task Force Bangon Marawi shall ensure that these efforts will provide the springboard for a safer and peaceful Marawi and act as catalyst for developments in Mindanao,” Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said.
He made the statement even as Senator Loren Legarda, head of the Senate’s finance committee, committed her full support for restoring political, social and economic stability in Marawi City through the adequate financing of the government’s rehabilitation plans.
“Any plan to rebuild Marawi and make it prosperous should be anchored on a resilience plan, which should take into consideration the risks from natural hazards, health hazards and security and safety issues,” Legarda said.
She said government agencies led by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council were responding to the immediate needs of the affected population in Marawi.
The inter-agency effort for the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi City and other affected localities will be spearheaded by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is also martial law administrator, along with 22 other officials including the secretary of Public Works and Highways as vice chairman. The Armed Forces chief of staff, the Education secretary, the Budget secretary, the Energy secretary and the Health secretary.
The responsibilities of Task Force Bangon Marawi include organizing and deploying a quick response team, conducting a post-conflict needs assessment, facilitating and overseeing the construction of shelters for displaced people, coordinating the immediate restoration of public utilities, attending to the basic needs of affected residents, providing an environment conducive to business and livelihood activities and ensuring the restoration of peace and order in the city.
Task Force Bangon Marawi will carry out its functions in coordination with the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and may call on the assistance of other government agencies, local government units and the private sector.
The task force’s members have formed themselves into five sub-committees: Reconstruction, Housing, Health and Social Welfare, Business and Livelihood and Peace and Order. The task force may create other sub-committees to implement Duterte’s order.
“Task Force Bangon Marawi shall submit monthly progress reports regarding the implementation of this Order to the President, through the Secretary of National Defense, until such time that the objectives of the Task Force have been achieved,” the order says.
Lorenzana said he hoped to send many evacuees residing in the outskirts of Marawi City back to their homes before Duterte’s second State of the Nation Address, but the area remains besieged by terrorists.
Thirty-nine civilians have been killed by the terrorists while 1,717 were rescued by government troops as of 6 p.m. of July 2, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said.
Meanwhile, 336 terrorists and 84 soldiers have been killed in the fighting as the crisis dragged on to its sixth week.
