SOCIALIZED HOUSING. One of the permanent shelter sites for internally displaced families in Marawi City, as seen in this undated photo. A total of 940 housing units have been completed while the rest of the 2,700 houses are nearing completion. (Photo courtesy of UN-Habitat Rebuilding Marawi Project)
MANILA – The government-led Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) reported Monday that the development of subdivision-like resettlement sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the war-torn city is in the final stages of completion.
All permanent relocation sites will be finished before the end of the Duterte administration on June 30, assured TFBM chairperson and housing czar Eduardo del Rosario in a statement.
Of the more than 2,700 permanent shelters for IDPs, 940 units have been completed, with the remaining ones in various stages of completion and slated to be awarded until the second quarter this year.
The communities were jointly developed by the National Housing Authority, Social Housing Finance Corporation, and United Nations-Habitat for the victims of the five-month siege in 2017 between government forces and the Daesh-inspired Maute terrorist group.
“Makikita ninyo na mas maganda pa ito sa mga ibang socialized housing subdivision na pinapagawa ng mga private developer sa Luzon (You would see that this is better than the other socialized housing subdivision being constructed by private developers in Luzon),” said del Rosario, who recently graced the turnover of 250 housing units to IDPs.
The resettlement sites have wide roads, drainage system, water facilities, and power supply.
Del Rosario also announced that various major public infrastructure projects along the city's Lake Lanao will be inaugurated in May, coinciding with the fifth-year commemoration of the start of the armed conflict and the annual Marawi Week of Peace.
Among the facilities that will be inaugurated are the Peace Memorial, Rizal Park, Marawi Museum, School of Living Traditions, the mall-like Grand Padian Market, Sarimanok Sports Complex, and Marawi Convention Center.
Del Rosario said the rehabilitation efforts in collaboration with the Marawi local government unit and the private sector succeeded despite facing numerous challenges such as inclement weather and the prevailing health crisis.
“I would like to inform the public that I am very satisfied with the progress of the rehabilitation. As I have been saying, we are on track and by June 30, we will be 90 to 95 percent complete,” he said. (PNA)
