The executive order for the P10-billion rehabilitation program for Marawi City called “Bangon Marawi” is now awaiting President Duterte’s signature, Malacañang said yesterday.
Bangon Marawi is the proposed recovery, reconstruction, and rehabilitation program for Marawi which has been under siege since May 23 by the combined Maute and Abu Sayyaf Groups.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that the EO for the Bangon Marawi program is now at the Office of the Executive Secretary.
“’Bangon Marawi’ will be undertaken by the Engineering Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the auspices of a to be named undersecretary with the expressed purpose of bringing back residents and normal everyday life as soon as possible,” Abella said during the Mindanao Hour press briefing yesterday over Radyo ng Bayan.
According to the Palace official, the program will be a multi-agency effort which includes the Departments of Trade and Industry, Education, Public Works and Highways, Social Welfare and Development, Energy, and Information and Communications Technology, among others. It will be headed by the Department of National Defense.
According to Abella, the recovery, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of Marawi will take a minimum of six months after the liberation of the city from terrorist groups.
“It should take a minimum of six months and may begin after clearing the city, which should take about at least one to two weeks,” he said.
Abella said that the DND was chosen to spearhead the reconstruction and the rehabilitation program due to its engineering battalion.
“’Yung kanilang engineering battalion may be readily dispersed in order to implement whatever plans that the other agencies may have – may have agreed upon,” he said.
“They also have the wherewithal in order to implement the rehabilitation plan, which the President wants to be done as soon as possible,” he added, referring to DND’s engineering battalion.
He said the agencies involved would be working closely with National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
