MARAWI CITY (PIA) -- The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) emphasized the importance of starting payouts for structural and other personal property claims in Marawi City's rehabilitation.

During the ceremonial awarding of structural claims on April 17,  Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., represented by retired Major General Melquiades Feliciano, emphasized the significance of the event in the national government's ongoing efforts to compensate, rehabilitate, and reconstruct Marawi City following the 2017 siege.

Galvez highlighted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s commitment to accelerating sustainable development, genuine prosperity, and enduring peace in the country's sole Islamic city.

He stated that this is in line with the president's promise to accelerate the administration's efforts to advance sustainable development, genuine prosperity, and enduring peace for the citizens of the nation's sole Islamic city.

Galvez reiterated the ongoing mission to genuinely emancipate Marawi. "Rest assured that the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity will stand by your side as the government continues to implement and complete all ongoing rehabilitation programs and projects here in the city," he said.

He emphasized that this commitment drives OPAPRU's increased dedication to aiding the Marawi Compensation Board, ensuring the needs of the Meranaw people are addressed and they are supported in their journey of recovery from the adversities of loss, suffering, and trauma caused by the siege.

To tackle these challenges, the peace adviser emphasized the importance of adopting a whole-of-nation or whole-of-society approach. He stressed that the government cannot confront this task in isolation; rather, each individual plays a crucial role in the collective endeavor, contributing to peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and development processes. 

"We must always maximize and leverage one another's resources. Cooperation and complementation should be our driving force," he further emphasized.

Additionally, OPAPRU highlighted the holistic nature of rebuilding Marawi, which encompasses providing socio-economic programs to victims of terrorism, including former violent extremists numbering over 300 individuals across identified municipalities.

In line with this, OPAPRU will be implementing socio-economic programs, particularly assisting communities under the PAMANA program to address the drivers or factors of violent extremism. (APB/PIA-10 Lanao del Sur)