Malacanang clarifies gov’t still to fund Marawi rehabilitation

April 29, 2019

Malacanang clarified on Monday that the government would continue to fund the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the clarification after President Rodrigo Duterte indicated during a situation briefing in Pampanga on the magnitude 6.1 earthquake in parts of Luzon recently that he would allow wealthy residents and business owners in Marawi to finance the rehabilitation of the city following the five-month siege in 2017.

"Yes, the Marawi rehabilitation will push through. But the priority would be the people of Marawi," he said.

He said to be assisted are those who lost their loved ones and were injured.

There would also be provision for health facilities and micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), among others.

But as to the businessmen in Marawi, Panelo explained that what Duterte  meant was that they were not priority of the government.

"The President said, you should find ways because our priority are the the people of Marawi - their lives, those who were injured, the survivors. But since you are businessmen, you have the money, help yourselves first," he said. 

Marawi was devastated due to the battle between the government troops and Maute-ISIS terrorists in May to October 2017. Celerina Monte/DMS