A "speedy rehabilitation" of communities heavily affected by Marawi siege in 2017 will be realized under a Robredo leadership, vice presidential bet Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan vouched.
Pangilinan, running mate of Vice President Leni Robredo, said on Friday, April 1, that Robredo has already delivered various assistance to the war-torn city under her term. This, he added, ensures that further help will reach the city if Robredo is elected to the highest position of the land.
"Hindi pa ho pangulo pero narito na. Hindi kayo pinababayaan. Lalo na siguro pagka pangulo na (She's still not the President yet she's already here. She did not abandoned you. How much more when she becomes the President)," Pangilinan said before a crowd of about 2,000 supporters in Marawi City.
The lawmaker lamented the five-year delay in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of once premier Mindanao city despite the P19-billion alloted for it.
"Kanina dumaan tayo sa doon sa Ground Zero at nakita natin na marami pang dapat gawin dito sa rehab. Ang mga pinangako noon hanggang ngayon hindi pa natutupad (We earlier passed by Ground Zero and we saw that there's still a lot to be rehabilitated. The promises made before are still unfulfilled)," he said.
""Pag tayo ay nagkamali at pinili natin iyong hindi karapat-dapat, anong mangyayari sa ating rehab dito? Delayed pa rin (If we make a mistake in electing an unqualified leader, what will happen to the rehabilitation here? It will still be delayed)," he added.
The vice presidential aspirant also said that Robredo has been constantly visiting Lanao del Sur and has initiated a housing project for families displaced by the war, justifying the Vice President's qualification for presidency.
Pangilinan also enumerated his own contribution as senator in promoting peace and development in Mindanao: Republic Act 11054, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Law, signed July 23, 2018; RA 11593, postponing BARMM’s first regular parliamentary elections be postponed from 2022 to 2025, signed on October 28, 2021; and Senate Bill 2420, or the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act, set to be signed into law soon.
Pangilinan further stressed that a follow-through to these efforts and progress in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are crucial in attaining peace and order in the region.