Public infra projects for Marawi rehab 65 percent complete: task force

Public infrastructure projects for the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi are about 65 percent complete, a task force leading the effort said on Tuesday, some four years after the fierce 5-month battle that left the southern city in ruins. 

The start of the firefight between authorities and Islamic State-inspired Maute group marked its fourth anniversary on Sunday. The battle dragged on until October 2017, displacing residents and destroying the city.

• TIMELINE: The Battle for Marawi

Authorities had to assist displaced residents, remove "thousands" of bombs before the rehabilitation of its public infrastructure and revive the city's economy, said Task Force Bangon Marawi chairman and Housing Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario. 

"Mula ng nagsimula tayo ng vertical saka horizontal infrastructures last year, we started last August, lahat ng ating public infra na pinapagawa is now 65 percent complete," Del Rosario said in a televised public briefing.

"We are on track with our stated deadline of December of the year na 100 percent lahat ng ongoing projects ay matatapos," he added.

(Since we started with vertical and horizontal infrastructure last August, all the public infra that we are constructing are now 65 percent complete. We are on track with our stated deadline of December of the year to finish all ongoing projects 100 percent.)

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Government has spent billions for the rehabilitation of Marawi, Malacañang spokesman Harry Roque said on Monday.

Many residents though have yet to return to the areas where their houses used to stand.

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• Buildings rise 4 years after Marawi siege but few residents are allowed to go back