Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘‘Bong’’ Go has cracked the whip on concerned government agencies to hasten the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City, saying there should be no excuses since funds have already been made available by the Duterte administration.
Go noted that it has been almost three years since the five-month Marawi siege began on May 23, 2017, yet residents have remained displaced.
“The President has two years left in Malacañang. We want to know how the rehabilitation can be completed,” he said.
“We don’t want the responsible officials to be negligent now and then put the blame on the President later on when his term ends,” Go added.
Earlier, Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman expressed dismay over the reversion to the National Treasury of some P406.5 million in 2018 Marawi rehabilitation funds.
He urged the national government, through Task Force Bangon Marawi, to prevent this from happening to the 2019 and 2020 rehabilitation funds for the war-destroyed city.
“As a leader in the House of Representatives, I will do everything in his power to prevent the 2019 and 2020 Marawi rehabilitation funds from being unused and reverting back to the treasury,” said Hataman.
“Let us learn from what happened to the 2018 Marawi budget, where more than P400 million remained unused and reverted back to the national coffers,” he added.
Go said there are many matters that need to be addressed immediately— including an audit of the funds.
“How have the amounts allocated as budget for the Marawi rehabilitation efforts been utilized? How will the government bridge the gap between the diverse culture and beliefs of the internally displaced persons or IDPs in Marawi and the government sector?”
“Have the IDPs been consulted and included in the planning, the timetable, the use of resources, the choice of contractors or even the design of their new homes to reflect their culture and consider the particular needs of their Muslim community?” Go said.
