Video courtesy of RTVM

President Rodrigo Duterte said he would visit Marawi on the fourth anniversary of the southern city's liberation from pro-Islamic State militants.

Task Force Bangon Marawi chairman Eduardo Del Rosario informed Duterte the city's rehabilitated Grand Mosque mosque would be inaugurated on Oct. 17.

Asked if would attend the event, Duterte said, "Yeah, oo.

"Pumunta pa nga ako during war time, lalo na peace time na and something that we can be proud of," he said in a taped Sept. 30 meeting with officials, which aired on Friday.

(Yes. I went there during war time, what more now that it's peace time and for something that we can be proud of.)

The 148-day occupation of Marawi ended on Oct. 17, 2021, with some 1,000 people, mostly rebels, killed in battle and the heart of the city of 200,000 leveled by air strikes.

The fighting left the top floor and basement of iconic Marawi Grand Mosque unusable, noted Del Rosario.

"Pinaayos na po natin. And the first, second and third floor, pati ‘yong basement naaayos na rin," he told Duterte. "Noong makita ko, I was so impressed because world-class ang pagkakagawa ng ating contractor."

(We had it fixed. And the first, second and third floor, and even the basement have been repaired. When I saw it, I was so impressed because the output of our contractor is world-class.)

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