PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday created an office to speed up the rehabilitation of Marawi City and boost its economic development.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser for Marawi Rehabilitation and Development will integrate, coordinate, and accelerate the implementation of all government projects “related to the rehabilitation, development, and restoration of peace and order in Marawi City and other affected localities,” Executive Order (EO) No. 78 read.
The body will be headed by the Presidential Adviser for Marawi Rehabilitation under the control and supervision of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President.
The new office’s functions include advising the President on all matters regarding rehabilitation, development, and restoration of peace in Marawi City.
It will oversee and harmonize all strategies and projects — at the local and national levels — related to Marawi City rehabilitation and development.
The office is mandated to submit status reports twice a year to the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary and the Special Assistant to the President.
The office was created almost a year after the termination of the operations of Task Force Bangon Marawi in December last year, amid the completion of several projects under the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Program.
Marawi City was pulverized in 2017 due to a five-month-long battle between state forces and an Islamic State-inspired group.
Tirmizy E. Abdullah, convener of the Marawi Advocacy Accompaniment, said last year that about 80,000 people or 16,000 families have yet to return to their homes in the destructed city. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
