President Marcos has ordered concerned government agencies to speed up the implementation of  recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts for Marawi City. 

Marcos issued Administrative Order (AO) No. 14, which will also streamline the functions of government agencies involved in the programs.

He then repealed the existing AO No. 03 and 09 series of 2017 that will render as "functus officio" by March 2024 the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM), citing the latter's redundancy and bureaucratic tendency. This means that task force will cease to function by that date. 

The President made the move as he believed doing so would ensure institutional stability.

Streamlining the functions of government agencies involved, he said, will reduce delays, promote efficiency and organizational coherence in the bureaucracy, which is consistent with the rightsizing policy of the administration.

Improving bureaucratic efficiency is one of the key pillars of the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028 and the 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda of the Administration, he stressed.

"In order to reduce delays due to redundant and superfluous bureaucratic layers in the National Government and to accelerate reconstruction and recovery efforts ni the City of Marawi and other affected localities, the Administration is actively pursuing the rationalization of the functional structures of government agencies in order to promote efficiency and organizational coherence in the bureaucracy consistent with the Rightsizing policy," his order read.

"To ensure institutional stability, it is imperative to institutionalize and strengthen the functions of implementing government agencies involved in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the City of Marawi and other affected localities," it added.

Orders

Under the order signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Dec. 22, Marcos wanted all government agencies involved to expedite and ensure the completion of the projects and activities in coordination with the concerned local government units (LGUs).

Particularly, the President ordered the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to maintain peace and order in Marawi City and other affected localities as well as the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to facilitate and oversee completion of housing projects for the affected residents.

He also ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to coordinate the complete restoration of public utilities, such as water and electricity as well as the repair and re-construction of public buildings and infrastructure.

Marcos asked the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to ensure health, sanitation, food and other basic needs of residents, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to provide an environment conducive to the revival of business and livelihood activities.  

While the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) was created to oversee the progress and completion of several programs and activities under the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Program (CRRP), he said it is still the government agencies that were tasked to execute the projects needed for recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi.

Such arrangement resulted in delays due to "redundant and superfluous bureaucratic layers in the National Government," he said.

Hence, there is now a need to rationalize the functions of government agencies "in order to promote efficiency and organizational coherence in the bureaucracy consistent with Rightsizing policy," he said.

Marawi task force to cease operations

That is the reason why the President ordered the TFBM to conclude its operations on December 31, 2023 before it will be deemed "functus officio" or without official authority by March 31, 2024.

The task-force is mandated to facilitate the reversion to the Office of the President (OP) of the remaining balance of the TFBM Trust Fund, which was created through a Memorandum of Agreement on April 13, 2018 between the two offices.

It is also mandated to conduct an inventory of its assets, properties and ensure proper accounting and turnover of the funds; settle its outstanding obligations and submit a Consolidated Audited Report of Disbursements to the OP on or before March 31, 2024; and submit a Comprehensive Transition Report to the President.

The President also repealed the Administrative Orders that created the task force—namely AO 03 and 09 series of 2017—and all other orders, rules and regulations and issuances or parts of the orders (the basis for the creation of the TFBM) that are inconsistent with the provisions of AO 14