Marawi week of peace

Reconstruction works for the iconic Grand Mosque are nearing completion.

Four years ago, the Daesh-inspired Maute terrorist group attempted to establish a caliphate on our beloved Islamic City of Marawi. They may have failed but our victory was not without a heavy price as the five-month siege left 24 barangays in ruins and had displaced thousands of Maranaws.

Fast forward today, we now have the initial results of President Duterte’s commitment to bring back the glory of Marawi—with key infrastructure projects starting to sprout in the former “ground zero” through massive rehabilitation efforts by Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) and its 56 implementing agencies.

Restorations

In the most affected area (MAA), we can see the restoration of the sturdy pillars of our precious mosques, the growth of school buildings conducive to learning, the mall-like Grand Padian public market, the sprawling road networks, the barangay complexes with madrasahs and health centers, the Marawi Museum, Peace Memorial, the School of Living Tradition and other facilities. All these and a lot more are concrete testaments of the concerted efforts of government agencies, our private partners, and the residents, to rebuild lives and dreams in this illustrious city.

Outside the “ground zero” or in the less affected areas (LAA) composed of 72 barangays, we have the homey,  subdivision-like atmosphere in nearly 2,500 permanent shelters now in various stages of completion. In fact, 109 housing units in Hadiya (which means gift) Village were already awarded to families who were formerly living along danger zones and more will be awarded in the coming months. The completion of trans-central road networks that bolstered commerce and trade, vital bridges connecting the MAA to LAA, the new city jail, and the city’s command center are all under construction.

It is also worthy to note the vibrancy of the local economy, as indicated by the dramatic increase in revenue collection by the local government unit—from an annual collection of merely P500,000 prior to the 2017 siege to more than P30 million in 2020.

Amid these repairs and rehabilitation works, the TFBM sustained the provision of financial, livelihood and other assistance to our Maranaw brothers and sisters, especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Catalyst for growth

From the start of my assumption as the chairperson of TFBM up until now, I only have one vision in mind which serves as my guiding principle in this endeavor—that is, to make the rehabilitation a catalyst for growth and sustainable development, a template for good governance and a model for attaining a peaceful environment.

Hence, we have focused our efforts by harmonizing the initiatives and interventions coming from both the government and the private sector, and the results are now becoming visible.

More than the facilities and infrastructure, lives and communities are now being rebuilt in a progressive and peaceful background. This is the key to achieve genuine progress and sustainable development.

Let this reverberate and serve as a template in protecting the peace we now enjoy. Let us ensure that we nurture this within and beyond the fences of our communities. After all, every Maranaw deserves an opportunity to prosper regardless of cultural orientation.

I would like to commend our implementing agencies for their outstanding accomplishment despite the hurdles we encountered along the way, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Let me also take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the men and women of the task force for risking their personal safety away from home and working hard to fulfill their duties.

The progress we now witness indisputably debunks unfounded claims and political grandstanding of some government critics.

I must admit that more has yet to be done as we fervently hope for the continuous support of the Maranaw community, particularly the local government led by Mayor Majul Gandamra, traditional leaders led by the Marawi Sultanate League, and the civil society organizations so that we can complete the ultimate goal of this rehabilitation. Together we can certainly do so much!

As we observe the Marawi Week of Peace, may each of us be reminded that peace is entirely within our hands. Let us truly live in peace, prosperity and harmony every single day from hereon forward.