Duterte prevents Marawi from being revolutionary because of other state affairs »Manila Bulletin News

By Genalyn Kabiling

President Duterte ignored the construction works of the city of Marawi last Tuesday as he was expected to take care of other state affairs, said his spokesman, Panelo El Salvador.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN)

Nonetheless, the president congratulated Eduardo del Rosario, chairman of the Bangladesh Housing and Urban Development Coordination Council (HUDCC) of the Bangon Marawi Task Force, for overseeing the reconstruction plans for the war-torn city.

"President Rodrigo Roa Duterte would personally like to join our compatriots and attend this historic occasion, but he has to deal with equally important issues and affairs of the nation," Panelo said in a statement.

"The Chief Executive commends Task Force Bangon Marawi for developing and implementing a comprehensive rehabilitation and recovery program, in consultation with Muslim leaders, for the reconstruction of an Islamic city. peace and prosperity of Marawi to which we all aspire, "he added.

Panelo said that the groundbreaking massive reconstruction works in the most affected area of ​​Marawi had sparked "a lot of enthusiasm, hope and joy" from the people.

Among the people who hosted the event, there were the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the ulamas, civil society organizations and units of the local authorities concerned, a- he added.

After months of delay, the inauguration ceremony finally took place on the ground zero of the city of Marawi. The ceremony took place a year after the city's liberation from the clutches of terrorists linked to the Islamic State.

The government had previously negotiated a 16-billion-peso deal with a China-led consortium for the reconstruction of 250 hectares of Marawi's ground zero after a five-month terrorist siege. However, the talks stalled for non-compliance with financial, technical and legal requirements.

Development projects in Marawi would now be subject to a joint venture agreement and negotiated public contracts.

The government initially awarded FINMAT Corporation the contract for debris management and cleaning operations in the city of Marawi as part of a negotiated contract.