Task Force Bangon Marawi, asked to disclose use of funds
Published May 23, 2020 12:00 am
By Charissa Luci-Atienza
Anak Mindanao partylist Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan called on May 23, Saturday, the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) to fully disclose the details on how it used the Marawi rehabilitation funds, and to fast track the reconstruction of the battle-scarred city.
House of the Representatives (Facebook)
She sought the full and detailed accounting of all disbursed funds for the rehabilitation of Marawi City, even as asked the TFBM to inform the public about the status of the post-recovery disaster efforts.
"Call it a 'State of Marawi Address' or whatever you will, but the people need to know the status of the Marawi rehabilitation efforts, especially those who are still languishing in temporary shelters and cannot go home to their beloved city. It has been three years since the siege, and yet the people are still unable to go home, rebuild their lives and heal from all the wounds of this tragedy," Sangcopan said in a statement, as the nation marked the third anniversary of the 2017 Marawi Siege on May 23.
On June 28, 2017, the TFBM was created to implement the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program (MRRRP). Sangcopan noted that some of the Marawi siege victims are still living in tents, or temporary shelters, while some have been with their relatives in different parts of Mindanao.
Some residents decided to leave Marawi City to seek employment in other places or abroad, she added. Sangcopan laments that the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis has further aggravated the living condition of the Maranaos who continuously hope that their city will soon be back on its feet.
“It is heartbreaking to see how our fellow Maranaos cope with life in tents and shelters. It is a far cry from their once thriving way of life, especially with the onset of CoVid-19, things have been more difficult for them,” Sangcopan said.
She is one of the principal authors of the Marawi Compensation Bill, which is now pending in Congress. “Ramadhan used to be a very festive, family-oriented celebration for many Maranaos. On this day, the 23rd of May, it is but a painful reminder of what life used to be for most of them,” she said.
Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman earlier sought a revamp in the leadership and management of the TFBM over the delayed reconstruction of Marawi City. "It has been three years and still, the people of Marawi have yet to return to their homes. This is actionable negligence already on the part of TFBM," he said in a statement on May 21.
"A destroyed Marawi should not be the new normal. COVID-19 or not, the rehabilitation must go on. Construction is one activity that is the least susceptible to COVID-19 infection. It is done outdoors and workers by their nature are physically distanced from each other," he added.
Hataman said the MRRRP should be fully implemented, lamenting that some 17,000 Marawi City residents are still in temporary shelters. "Rehabilitation should move faster than the virus. Long before this plan to flatten the curve, Marawi was already flattened by bombs. No other city has suffered these three in succession: war, virus and now hunger. Just imagine being in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and you cannot even stay under the protection of your own home."
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are some 25,355 families, or a total of 126,775 individuals, who are still languishing in displacement, as of April 2020. Some 17,000 are in temporary shelters, and the rest are living with relatives or friends, it noted.
House of the Representatives (Facebook)
She sought the full and detailed accounting of all disbursed funds for the rehabilitation of Marawi City, even as asked the TFBM to inform the public about the status of the post-recovery disaster efforts.
"Call it a 'State of Marawi Address' or whatever you will, but the people need to know the status of the Marawi rehabilitation efforts, especially those who are still languishing in temporary shelters and cannot go home to their beloved city. It has been three years since the siege, and yet the people are still unable to go home, rebuild their lives and heal from all the wounds of this tragedy," Sangcopan said in a statement, as the nation marked the third anniversary of the 2017 Marawi Siege on May 23.
On June 28, 2017, the TFBM was created to implement the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program (MRRRP). Sangcopan noted that some of the Marawi siege victims are still living in tents, or temporary shelters, while some have been with their relatives in different parts of Mindanao.
Some residents decided to leave Marawi City to seek employment in other places or abroad, she added. Sangcopan laments that the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis has further aggravated the living condition of the Maranaos who continuously hope that their city will soon be back on its feet.
“It is heartbreaking to see how our fellow Maranaos cope with life in tents and shelters. It is a far cry from their once thriving way of life, especially with the onset of CoVid-19, things have been more difficult for them,” Sangcopan said.
She is one of the principal authors of the Marawi Compensation Bill, which is now pending in Congress. “Ramadhan used to be a very festive, family-oriented celebration for many Maranaos. On this day, the 23rd of May, it is but a painful reminder of what life used to be for most of them,” she said.
Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman earlier sought a revamp in the leadership and management of the TFBM over the delayed reconstruction of Marawi City. "It has been three years and still, the people of Marawi have yet to return to their homes. This is actionable negligence already on the part of TFBM," he said in a statement on May 21.
"A destroyed Marawi should not be the new normal. COVID-19 or not, the rehabilitation must go on. Construction is one activity that is the least susceptible to COVID-19 infection. It is done outdoors and workers by their nature are physically distanced from each other," he added.
Hataman said the MRRRP should be fully implemented, lamenting that some 17,000 Marawi City residents are still in temporary shelters. "Rehabilitation should move faster than the virus. Long before this plan to flatten the curve, Marawi was already flattened by bombs. No other city has suffered these three in succession: war, virus and now hunger. Just imagine being in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and you cannot even stay under the protection of your own home."
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are some 25,355 families, or a total of 126,775 individuals, who are still languishing in displacement, as of April 2020. Some 17,000 are in temporary shelters, and the rest are living with relatives or friends, it noted.