MARAWI CITY — The Office of the Chief Minister’s Marawi Rehabilitation Program (MRP) is set to expand its array of interventions for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of this city following its signing of various memoranda of agreements (MOAs) with its implementing partners on Nov. 25.
Project Manager Lawyer Anna Tarhata Basman said the MRP has six MOAs with the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) covering infrastructure projects.
“Most of them, ilalagay natin doon sa mga existing permanent shelters kasi gusto natin, aside from housing na nandoon sa mga permanent shelters, mayroon ding additional facilities ang ating mga IDPs para mas maging conducive doon sa kanilang community building,” Basman said.
[We will place most of the projects in the existing permanent shelters because we want that, aside from providing housing in the permanent shelters, we want additional facilities for our IDPs to make their community building more conducive].
Basman also underscored that the MRP will ensure that IDPs have access to water, electricity, and solar energy in case of power outages.
The six MOAs with MHSD specifically include the construction of a healthcare unit docking station along Marawi lakeshore, a one-storey multipurpose hall with a roof deck and 10kw hybrid solar energy in five permanent shelters, covered courts with stage and bleacher in two permanent shelters, supplemental water systems in three permanent shelters, installation of solar street lights in 12 shelters, and supply and installation of a 300-unit 2kw solar hybrid energy rooftop system.
MRP also signed an agreement with the local government units (LGUs) of Kapai and Saguiaran for the construction of 50 housing units with facilities such as a multipurpose hall, covered court, water system, road network, and other facilities that the IDPs need for resettlement.
To increase the number of IDP enrollees, the program likewise inked MOAs with 11 private educational institutions previously operating in the city’s Most Affected Area (MAA).
“Ito yung isa sa mga paraan na nakita natin para matulungan sila under the MOAs that we entered into with them. Bibigyan natin ng scholarship yung kanilang mga bagong enrollees para ma-increase natin yung enrollment nila at maging sustainable yung kanilang operations,” Basman said.
[This is one of the ways we identified to assist them through the MOAs we entered into with them. We will provide scholarships to their new enrollees to increase their student population and to make their operations sustainable.]
She added that this is on top of the other services they wish to provide to private schools, including the Madrasah and Torils previously situated in the MAA.
Johary Pindatuan, a student of Jamiatu Dansalan Al-Islamia Foundation Inc., expressed gratitude to the MRP and Bangsamoro Government for the scholarship intended for students like him from the MAA.
“We lost our shelter and livelihood when the Marawi siege happened. This scholarship is a big help to us who are still trying our best to finish our studies”, said Pindatuan.
(L-R) Saguiaran Mayor Jalalodin Angin, BARMM Senior Minister Abunawas Maslamama, Marawi Rehabilitation Program (MRP) Project Manager Atty. Anna Tarhata Basman, and Deputy Chief Minister for Mainland Aleem Ali Solaiman lead the signing of various memoranda of agreements (MOAs) on Nov. 25 for the implementation of several projects for the Marawi internally displaced persons. (Hamdan Badrudin/BIO)
Meanwhile, BARMM Senior Minister Abunawas Maslamama highlighted the importance of the agreements in the continuous rehabilitation of the city after the siege in 2017.
“The signing of the MOA for the BARMM MRP marks another milestone for the Bangsamoro people. This agreement is not merely a document but a covenant that binds us in a shared commitment to rise above the challenges that once besieged our beloved Marawi. Under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, we stride purposefully toward a brighter future,” Maslamama said.
Among the Bangsamoro leaders who witnessed the signing of MOAs include Deputy Chief Minister for Mainland Aleem Ali Solaiman, MHSD Minister Hamid Aminoddin Barra, Kapai Mayor Aidah Gauraki, Saguiaran Mayor Jalalodin Angin, and MRP Project Management Director Jalanie Pangalian. Representatives from eleven private educational institutions in the city and their students were also present during the activity.
To ensure the efficient execution of BARMM’s multiple projects for the IDPs, Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra announced that his administration adopted a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), “a well-articulated systematic process that addresses the grievances of project affected persons”.
He also expressed his administration’s appreciation to the BARMM government for its unrelenting support for the rehabilitation of Marawi, both in the MAA and the greater Marawi Area.
“Ito po mga ginagawa natin ay patotoo na yung Bangsamoro Government, kahit na hindi siya yung main or primary na may mandato para sa Marawi rehabilitation, ay hindi bibitawan yung Marawi rehabilitation. So, isa ito sa mga priority agenda ng ating Chief Minister,” Basman told the beneficiaries.
[This is our way of affirming that the Bangsamoro Government, even though it is not the primary entity mandated for the Marawi rehabilitation, will always support Marawi rehabilitation. So, this is one of the priority agendas of our Chief Minister.] (Bangsamoro Information Office/PIA Lanao del Sur)
