THE PHILIPPINE Army’s 55th Engineering Brigade is need of at least 1,000 additional personnel to assist in the Marawi City rehabilitation program. In a social media post last week on the official page of the military’s Civil Relations Service, the brigade’s commander, BGen. Evan T. Ruiz, called for applicants. “We need as many personnel to help in Marawi rehabilitation under the supervision of the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM),” Mr. Ruiz said. The 55th Engineering Brigade was recently reactivated to help speed up the rehabilitation projects, including road widening, drainage, and construction of schools, health centers and other government facilities. Meanwhile, TFBM Chair Eduardo D. del Rosario appealed to displaced residents to stretch their patience and verify reports about the rehabilitation program. “Today, we have initially identified one of their worries which is the fear that they might not be able to go back to their homes. So, we assured them today that they can visit their homes after the debris clearing, and the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) will also give cash assistance,” he said during a two-day dialogue last week intended to quell rising tension in the war-torn city. It has been almost two years since local extremist groups laid siege to Marawi in late May 2017, which led to an almost five-month fierce battle with government troops that left central areas of the city in ruins, including 24 villages whose residents remain displaced. Mr. Del Rosario, who is also head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, said there are groups spreading wrong information. “Although it is their right to express what they want, but it’s not helping the rehabilitation of Marawi City. So, I hope they realize that at the end of the day, what we are doing is for the general welfare of everybody and not to satisfy the whims and caprices of very small groups,” he said.

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