MARAWI CITY (MindaNews / 09 November 2022) — Passing by Ground Zero this morning, this sight of devastation of the approach to Banggolo from Agus Bridge 1 touched me, compelling me to get down. This is the part of the town center of the old Marawi (simple but majestic, and loved by all Marawians) where I was a shoe shine boy during weekends in 1965-1967.
Except for the rebuilt roadways, the reconstructed mosques, and new government buildings and facilities (DepEd schools, sports complex, cultural center, barangay halls,etc.), this horrific spectacle of destruction during the 2017 Marawi Siege remains the factual situation in most parts of Ground Zero.
The promised “New Marawi” remains a pie in the sky fantasy for the Marawians. Practically, the several thousand displaced families have become “tenurized IDPs”
This post-conflict public governance debacle is due largely to the erroneous prioritzation of modernization program components vis-a-viz restorative rebuilding and rehabilitation. What should have been done is the massive restorative rebuilding and rehabilitation in Ground Zero first, i.e., to hasten the return of IDPs to their homes and villages.
The modernization program for the whole of Marawi should follow after completing the former. Sadly, the case of Marawi is a case of post conflict reconstruction without recovery. After more than five years, what we see is nothing but a ‘promise’ for transformation.
[MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. ‘OUR Marawi’ is open to anyone who wishes to share his/her thoughts on rehabilitation efforts in Marawi. Dr. Macapado Abaton Muslim obtained his Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Hawaii (as an East-West Center scholar), MPA (Management) from University of the Philippines – National College of Public Administration and Governance, and BSPA from Mindanao State University. He had served as President of the 11-campus MSU System, and retired recently as University Professor]
