MANILA - The five-month siege in Marawi City last year cost more than P17 billion in property damage and opportunities lost, the head of rehabilitation efforts in the conflict zone said Friday.

Task Force Bangon Marawi chief Eduardo del Rosario said about P11 billion worth of properties in the city were damaged while P6.6 billion worth of economic opportunities were lost because of the siege.

The official said an initial post-conflict needs assessment showed that at least P49.8 billion is needed to rehabilitate affected parts of Marawi.

He said this amount was just an initial estimate as the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) would come up with a more comprehensive assessment of the damage and rehabilitation plan by March.

“It will factor in everything, including the master development plan being envisioned by the city of Marawi,” Del Rosario said in a news briefing.

Parts of the commercial and cultural capital were reduced to rubble following fierce battles between Islamic State-inspired terrorists in Marawi City from May to October last year.

It left some 1,100 dead, mostly terrorists, and over 350,000 displaced.

As rehabilitation efforts in the city began, the government recently turned over 800 transitional shelters in Barangay Sagonsongan in Marawi City and Matungao, Lanao del Norte.

The government targets to distribute 1,100 transitional shelters in Barangay Sagonsongan before the end of February.

Del Rosario, who also heads the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, said 250 families were scheduled to occupy the transitional housing units in December 2017 and another 250 this January in Barangay Sagonsongan.

Government is planning to develop Marawi's ground zero from scratch as it aims to bring back the glory of the once bustling Islamic city.

Roads will be widened, buildings will be cleared, power lines will be placed underground, and a new drainage system and waste and water treatment facilities will be built as part of the rehabilitation plan, he said.