ZAMBOANGA CITY — Construction equipment started arriving near Marawi City as the military readies for rehabilitation once the battle against the ISIS-inspired group that besieged the city is over.
The heavy equipment along with relief goods arrived Saturday in the nearby Iligan City, said Capt. Jo-Ann Pentinglay, spokesperson of Western Mindanao Command and Joint Task Force Marawi.
The equipment, which include two units of back hoes and two units of pay loaders, were transported by the Philippine Navy’s landing ship transport.
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Petinglay said the equipment were kept and readied at Balao-I area, which is close to Marawi City.
She said these would be utilized for the reconstruction of the iconic structures in the city destroyed in the fighting. Temporary shelters for the internally displaced persons would also be built at Barangay Sagongsongan and other identified temporary sites.
The rehabilitation is expected to commence once the military declares the fighting over.
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Petinglay reported that the area of operation in the main battle zone has been reduced to 21 to 24 hectares.
The government initially pegged P15 billion for the rehabilitation of the city—P5 billion for 2017 and P10 billion for 2018 under a multi-year scheme.