Allow Marawi residents to rebuild homes on same site, says Kiko

MANILA, Philippines — The government should allow Marawi residents to rebuild their homes on the same site where they are situated prior to the siege of the city, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Friday.

The senator further called on the government to give Marawi residents resources, particularly to those whose houses have been flattened or damaged from the fight between government troops and local terrorists.

"Their home is where their families converge, where their Islamic faith has been grounded, where their value systems have been established," Pangilinan said in a statement.

The statement comes after a group of concerned Maranaos appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to put a stop to the proposal to establish an economic zone and a military camp in the war-torn city.

Pangilinan suggested that there may be another nearby venue suited for the proposed ecozone so as not to infringe the ancestral lands of the Maranaos and other residents of the city.

"The residents should have a voice and stake in the planning stage of rebuilding. They should be allowed to return to ground zero and be given assistance, if not compensation, for the damages to their homes and properties," the senator said.

In December last year, the government revealed plans to put up an ecozone in Marawi to boost local economy.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said that the plan was to put up a community-based economic zone in the area for small industries, local food processin and small foundries.

Civilian group Ranaw Multi-Sectoral Movement, however, lamented that Marawi residents have been "largely left out" of the plans to rebuild the city.

"Plans have been made without our participation. Plans that neither bear the stamp of our will nor reflect our culture. Plans whose mechanics and implementation are not clear to us. But one thing is clear: the people of Marawi are largely left out," the group said.