Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) has to be more transparent in its accomplishments and financial reports, Deputy Speaker and Basilan lone district Rep. Mujiv Hataman said on Tuesday.
Hataman said TFBM must show vigilance against the expiration of any funds intended for Marawi rehabilitation efforts which has dragged on for almost three years after government forces liberated the city from extremists in October, 2017.
“For purposes of transparency, yung lahat sana ng activities, financial reports, pati na accomplishments both physical and financial, sana mailagay at mai-post nila doon sa website ng Task Force Bangon Marawi (all activities, financial reports, even physical and financial accomplishments must be posted on Task Force Bangon Marawi's website)," he said Tuesday during the hearing of the House Committee on Disaster Resilience on the proposed Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act.
The TFBM, through the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), updated the panel members on the status of the utilization of funds for Marawi.
OCD Director Edgar Posadas bared that from 2017 to 2020, P20.8 billion had been allocated for Marawi's rehabilitation and, as of August this year, P19.940 billion has already been released. He said that the unreleased balance is P868.4 million.
“Ang worry ko lang ay baka matulad tayo sa nangyari sa pondo ng Marawi nung 2018, kung saan may P406 million na pondo na nag-expire at bumalik sa Treasury nang hindi nagagamit para sana sa kapakanan ng mga tao (My worry is that we might see a repeat of what happened in 2018 when P406 million worth of funds expired and was reverted to the treasury without benefitting the people),” Hataman, former governor of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said.
“Aside from ensuring that the Marawi funds are spent according to their intended purposes, we should also make sure all of the allocation is used for the benefit of the people of Marawi. Mabagal na nga ang usad ng rehabilitation, hindi pa magagamit ang nakalaan na pondo. Patong-patong na ang hirap ng mga tao sa Marawi (The rehabilitation is already slow, and now the available funds aren't being utilized. It adds to the suffering of the people of Marawi)," he said.
“Kaya mahalaga ang transparency sa status ng Marawi rehabilitation, para nabubusisi natin ang mga proseso at makahanap ng paraan para mapadali at mapabilis ang paggalaw ng rehabilitation sa Marawi (That's why transparency in the status of the Marawi rehabilitation is important. We get to review the process and find ways to ease and expedite the rehabilitation),” he added.
Hataman asked TFBM chairman Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario if the inter-agency body can post regular and real-time updates on the state of the rehabilitation on its website and social media accounts. He said this will allow the people to see the progress of the program.
Del Rosario agreed to provide real-time updates on Marawi's rehabilitation onTFBM's website and social media accounts.
On May 23, 2017, an estimated 1,000 ISIS-inspired Maute Group terrorists occupied Marawi City in Lanao del Sur. The military and police took five months to drive out the enemy, with the extensive shelling and bombing leaving the Islamic city in ruins.
The amended substitute bill of the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act, of which Hataman was one of the authors, was approved by the House panel during the hearing.