THE government is ready to mobilize P5 billion for the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City, the Department of Budget and Management said Friday.
“The rebuilding of Marawi will be a multi-year task. It cannot be done in a few months or one year. So with that, we are talking of a multi-year effort. And in fact there is a task force created to prepare such a plan,” Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Friday.
In the meantime, the DBM has identified P5 billion in standby funds, most of it from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, which can already be tapped.
President Rodrigo Duterte recently ordered the creation of Task Force Bangon Marawi to implement rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Marawi City, with the Department of Public Works and Highways expected to come up with a comprehensive master plan to map out these efforts. The President previously promised to give P20 billion for Marawi’s rehabilitation, at least P10 billion of which will be released in 2018.
Diokno said that the budgets and funding sources for 2017 and 2018 had been identified before the creation of the DPWH master plan to quickly respond to the rehabilitation needs.
Other funds could also be sourced from the respective budgets of different agencies such as Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Public Works and Hightways, the AFP Engineering Brigade, and foreign donors.
China has already donated P15 million for Marawi rehabilitation to boost the resources of Health and Social Welfare departments.
For the NDRRM Fund FY 2018, P25.5 billion has been allocated; while P10 billion of that amount has been allotted for the Marawi recovery and rehabilitation program.
In the 2018 budget, P310 million has also been allocated for 12 infrastructure projects under ARMM Regional DPWH.
The Budget chief also said that the international community has expressed willingness to assist in the recovery of Marawi.
Among the international organizations that committed financial help are the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
Diokno assured the public that all funds would be properly accounted for.
“Why is accountability important? Well, we learned our lessons from the ‘Yolanda’ incident. The Filipino people should know how the money was spent,” he said.
Meanwhile, member-agencies of the Inter-Agency Task Force Bangon Marawi are set to conduct a meeting with local officials and chief executives to formalize the initial rehabilitation plan.
Office of Civil Defense Post-Disaster Evaluation and Management chief Lenie Alegre said the sub-committees are expected to present their initial plans to the local government units by next week.
“So, even before we end the conflict, the government is actually planning ahead for early recovery and rehabilitation as well as possible reconstruction,” Alegre said.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr. reiterated the military’s continuous efforts to restore normalcy in the areas of conflict.
He said two engineering brigades are already on the ground and are working closely with local officials in preparing the temporary resettlement area for the evacuees.
Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said that the clearing operations of infrastructure in Marawi City are progressing well, with 48 more buildings cleared yesterday, July 13. Around 600 buildings remain to be cleared.
As for the donations for Marawi victims, as of July 13, donations for soldiers killed in action have soared to P5.5 million while donations for internally displaced persons have reached P779,727.21.
