Marawi’s power, water supply back in 2 weeks

MANILA, Philippines — Three years after the liberation of Marawi from Maute bandits, power and water supply will soon be restored in areas in the city that were hit hard by the siege in 2017, Task Force Bangon Marawi chairman Eduardo del Rosario said over the weekend.

Del Rosario, who heads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, said the restoration of power and water connections in Marawi would start within the next two weeks.

This developed after the Local Water Utilities Administration received the funds for the construction of a pumping station that will supply water in areas that were devastated when the Mautes laid siege in the city.

The Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative also received funds for the construction of a power sub-station.

Del Rosario did not mention how much funds were allocated for each project, but he gave assurance that construction works “are expected to fully begin within a couple of weeks.”

Earlier, the government restored power in Sectors 1, 2, and 3 or in areas that were severely affected by the six-month siege that started in May 2017.

The restoration of power and water connections are part of the 22 projects that were designed to fully rehabilitate Marawi before the term of President Duterte ends.

Twenty of the projects will be completed in December 2021.

Two others are expected to be 95 percent complete by end of 2021 and fully completed by March 2022, Del Rosario said.

The construction of permanent housing units, which is being undertaken by the National Housing Authority in partnership with the Social Finance Housing Corp. and the UN Habitat, is expected to be completed by December 2021.

“Everything will be completed within the term of the President,” Del Rosario said.

The battle between government troopers and the bandits left the city in ruins with about a thousand people killed and more than 3,000 displaced.

Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo reiterated her call for the rehabilitation of Marawi.

“To this day, thousands of Marawi residents remain displaced, its buildings remain in ruins and the city has yet to claim any semblance of normalcy, much less its former glory as a cultural and economic hub,” Robredo said in a statement.

The Office of the Vice President, in partnership with private organizations, built the Angat Buhay Village in Marawi’s Barangay Sagonsongan in 2018. – Helen Flores