The committee on housing of the Commission on Appointments (CA) rescheduled for next week the grilling by CA members of Eduardo Drueco del Rosario on his fitness to head the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (HSUD).
This followed a long line of senators and congressmen who have grilled him or are waiting for their turn to get answers on housing and urban development-related issues such as low cost housing, cemeteries and the urgent resettlement of squatters on the railroad tracks in Southern Luzon, and the Bagon Marawi Task Force (BMTF) where del Rosario is the chairman.
As he declared in his previous statement last week, del Rosario maintained that all the BMTF projects in Marawi would be completed by December, 2022.
By that time, Marawi will rise as a prosperous city again, he said.
He told the CA committee chaired by Senator Francis Tolentino that his BMTF is being assisted by 56 agencies in fast-tracking the development of Marawi that suffered heavy damage during the Marawi siege.
The Marawi siege by Muslim militants started on May 23, 2017 and ended after a five-month battle on October 23, 2017.
During a virtual appearance during the in-person and virtual public hearing conducted by the Tolentino committee, Marawi officials urged the CA to confirm del Rosario’a appointment as they all approve of rhe handling by del Rosario of the rehabilitation of Marawi.
Any change in the Bagon Marawi Task Force leadership would set back infrastructure program and other projects, they said.
Critics, however, had stated that the rehabilitation of Marawi is ‘’delayed, delayed,’’ according to Senator Ronald ‘’Bato’’ dela Rosa.
But dela Rosa later supported the confirmation of del Rosario knowing him for his ‘’integrity as a person’’ and as an Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officer.
Senators Cynthia A. Villar and Christopher ‘’Bong’’ Go told their CA colleagues that they support del Rosario’s confirmation.
Go reiterated his support for del Rosario’s confirmation.
He said he is confident that del Rosario would be able to deliver on his commitments.
‘’He is competent, highly qualified,’’ he added.