THE PASSAGE of a law on the rights of internally displaced persons (IDP), the immediate lifting of martial law in Mindanao, and additional relief assistance are the top concerns raised by residents of Marawi City whose lives have been severely affected by the siege that has left a big part of the city in ruins. These issues were raised at a forum organized by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Wed., Nov. 22, at the Marawi State University. ARMM Governor Mujiv S. Hataman assured participants that the regional government will make sure that the interests and rights of IDPs are protected, starting with the passage of an IDP act at the regional legislative assembly. There are also several pending bills filed before the Senate and the House of Representatives on IDP rights.

ASSESSMENT
Meanwhile, Task Force Bangon Marawi, the overall multi-agency group in charge of rehabilitation, also met on Wednesday to discuss updates on the rebuilding plan. Mr. Hataman said the ARMM government will provide P450 million worth of funds this year and an additional P930 million in 2018. The national government estimates that the rehabilitation would require as much as P50 billion and could take several years to implement. Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council Chairperson Eduardo D. del Rosario, who has been appointed to head the task force, said during the multi-sectoral meeting that teams have been deployed to assess the damages and losses in 24 barangays which were most affected, while another team will be sent out on Nov. 27 to cover 47 other villages. After the consultation, government officials from national, regional and local government units, the military, police, and multi-sectoral representatives signed a pledge of commitment and support for the long rehabilitation work ahead. — Mindanao Bureau

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