More displaced Marawi residents issued building permits – task force

MANILA, Philippines — Around 1,500 internally displaced persons from Marawi’s most affected area will be issued building permits this month to allow them to repair their houses, Human Settlements Secretary and Task Force Bangon Marawi chairman Eduardo del Rosario said yesterday.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development said Del Rosario and Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra reached an agreement to expedite the release of building permits.

Del Rosario said the final approval of the city government is needed to ensure safety, establish legal ownership of properties and avoid future dispute.

“Hopefully, by the third week of December, permits can be cleared. We expect that by January 2022, hundreds or even a thousand can start the construction or repair of their houses,” he said.

Based on task force records, 300 of more than 2,000 displaced residents who applied for building permits are now repairing their houses.

“Basically, their applications are complete and the LGU (local government unit) is ready to release the building permits pending final inspection and assessment to determine structural integrity,” Del Rosario said.

He said several teams were instructed to conduct simultaneous final assessment and inspection of the structures.

Del Rosario remains optimistic that all the projects under Marawi’s rehabilitation plan would be completed before the end of President Duterte’s term.

“I am certain that we can finish at least 95 percent of all major infra projects by June 2022. I can assure everyone that the few remaining projects will be completed because they are already funded and being implemented by concerned agencies,” he said.

The full-blast rebuilding of infrastructure and public facilities in Marawi started in July 2020 after the budget was released in May of the same year.

Ongoing construction projects include school buildings, slaughterhouses and permanent shelters.

The construction of road networks is also in the final stages.