Government, MILF join Marawi recovery efforts anew

MANILA, Philippines — The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have again agreed to combine recovery efforts in Marawi City.

The Joint Communications Committee of the government and MILF announced last Friday that they aimed for the situation in the war-torn city to normalize.

The government and MILF also agreed to revive the Joint Coordination, Monitoring and Assistance Center (JCMAC), which was a key mechanism in rescuing hundreds of hostages at the height of the armed conflict in Marawi last year.

Undersecretary Nabil Tan, deputy presidential peace adviser and chairman of the government implementing panel for the Bangsamoro peace accords, said the first JCMAC was “a very good testament of the effective partnership (between) the government and MILF during the Marawi siege.”

Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of the MILF implementing panel, agreed that the reactivation of the JCMAC is “a very modest intervention on the part of MILF, in partnership with the government.”

Barangay, SK polls

Meanwhile, Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez said the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Sept. 22 in Marawi could be difficult, considering the impact of the armed conflict in the city last year.

“The question is, will it be difficult for the people to go back to Marawi to vote from wherever they are now? That’s possible as they may find it hard to find means of transportation,” Jimenez noted.

Jimenez said it would be a challenge, especially for those still staying in evacuation centers, to participate in the polls.– With Mayen Jaymalin