Rebuilding set to start for Marawi mosques

MARAWI, Philippines — Reconstruction of three Marawi City mosques destroyed during the 2017 siege will start soon, the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) said.

This developed after TFBM chairman  Eduardo del  Rosario on Friday led the signing of three Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) that will pave the way for the repair of three mosques through the incentivized utilization of housing developers’ escrow funds.

It will be the first time that the department will be releasing escrow funds, amounting to P32.14 million, from private developers intended for socialized housing development and rehabilitation of calamity-stricken areas like Marawi City.

The three mosques to undergo repair are Masjid Darussalam which is located in Barangay Raya Madaya, that was allotted P4.39 million; Masjid Disomangcop in Barangay Daguduban with P12.25 million; and the White Mosque in Barangay Lumbac Madaya that will receive about P15.5 million.

All the three mosques are in an area considered the most affetced area or “ground zero” of the siege inside Marawi.

“This is a milestone in the history of the Department and Task Force Bangon Marawi. For the first time, we will use the escrow donation component for the building of the first three mosques inside the most affected area,” said Del Rosario, who also heads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

“No less than President Duterte stressed during our meeting last March to prioritize the reconstruction of mosques and today marks our strong commitment and compliance to the instruction of our President, hence, construction will commence and will be completed soonest,” he added.

Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra, TFBM field office manager assistant secretary Felix Castro Jr., and the administrators of the three mosques took part in the event via Zoom meeting from Marawi City.

Present at the DHSUD Central Office were officials from the Ayala-led BellaVita Land Corp. and Property Company of Friends Inc. or Pro-Friends, the contributors of the escrow funds that will be used.

According to Del Rosario, the government, through the TFBM, is keen on reconstructing more or less 30 mosques in Marawi, including the Dansalan Bato Mosque and the Grand Mosque, through donations from private organizations.

He said the TFBM considers the repair of mosques destroyed during the five-month siege in 2017 as crucial to the social healing of the Maranaos affected by the conflict.

Del Rosario cited the sincere support of the Housing partner-developers’ to DHSUD’s initiative in allotting part of their escrow fund in helping Marawi City recover.

“These mosques are important monuments of Muslim history and Islamic tradition in the Philippines. The generosity and goodwill of our partner-developers will go a long way in boosting the morale and contribute to the overall well-being of the people of Marawi that were destroyed along with these physical structures that represent and embody their faith,” Del Rosario said.

He also reiterated TFBM’s commitment to complete the rehabilitation works in the country’s only Islamic city by December 2021.