VP renews call for quick rehabilitation of ravaged Marawi
VICE-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo on Sunday renewed calls to fast-track the rebuilding of Marawi City three years after it was liberated from homegrown terrorists linked to the Islamic State (IS).
“Today, we remember the Marawi we lost, even as we renew the call for a more urgent approach to the rehabilitation process, and recommit to the rebuilding of a more peaceful and prosperous city,” she said in a statement.
In 2018, local and national officials held a groundbreaking ceremony in the ravaged city to mark the start of the government’s rehabilitation efforts.
But three years after the so-called liberation of Marawi City, thousands of its residents remained displaced and its buildings remained in ruins, Ms. Robredo said.
“The city has yet to reclaim any semblance of normalcy, much less its former glory as a cultural and economic hub,” she added.
She noted that while the siege might have been lifted, Marawi reminds us that “violent extremism remains among the biggest threats to society.”
“And to truly address it, frustrations must be met with compassion. Empowerment must become the foremost imperative. Equitable and inclusive progress must be achieved for the people of Marawi.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
