Water tank project launched in Marawi

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Residents of two conflict-stricken barangays in Marawi City now have additional water supply facilities built with the help of private benefactors.

Lanao del Sur Vice Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. said Saturday they launched early this week the 20,000-liter stainless water tank projects for internally-displaced families in Barangays Pagasa and Buadi Itowa in Marawi City.

The projects were joint humanitarian interventions of the Lanao del Sur provincial government, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and the Pepsi Cola Products Philippines Inc.

“We ought to thank these two private entities for helping provide IDPs in Marawi City with clean water that they need every day,” Adiong said Saturday.

Adiong said the new water systems will help ensure good health of children, the most vulnerable to water-borne diseases.

No fewer than 300,000 villagers in Marawi City were displaced by the May 23 to Oct. 16, 2017 conflict there that combined Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists instigated.

The five-month hostilities resulted in the deaths of hundreds, among them dozens of soldiers and police personnel, and left old historic Maranaos dwelling enclaves in ruins.

The government is still to fully rebuild Marawi City from devastation.

Adiong said they are also to focus, along with the Task Force Bangon Marawi, a series of community water management and hygiene trainings under the Marawi City Water Sanitation and Hygiene Masterplan.

Marawi City is the capital of Lanao del Sur, a component province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The ARMM government awarded last month to beneficiaries dozens of core shelters in Marawi City it constructed for Maranao IDPs.

The executive department of ARMM has also been helping communities affected by last year’s conflict in Marawi City through its Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development for Growth and Empowerment program.

The program is being implemented in all of ARMM’s five provinces --- Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur in mainland Mindanao and the islands of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi --- by the office of Gov. Mujiv Hataman, the chief executive of the autonomous region.

The Lanao del Sur provincial government and the office of Hataman also recently embarked on a “people’s day” outreach mission in Marawi City, facilitated by the ARMM government’s Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team.

Adiong said he is grateful to all government and private entities that have continuously been helping thousands of IDPs in Marawi City and nearby Lanao del Sur towns.