The hearts and minds of church workers are with Marawi residents today, April 6, as thousands return to what was once their homes, nearly a year since the violent attack that forced them to flee from the city.
As some residents decry that their homes were subjected to looting, many houses have sadly been reduced to mere rubble.
According to reports, the clearing of debris left by the armed conflict in the area will not be until May 10, 2018. The government and the private sector, too, will reportedly work hand-in-hand to reconstruct the city, with a rehabilitation cost estimated to be as much as P75 billion.
Such, the Ramento Project for Rights Defenders (RPRD) believes, are full of red flags.
“We hope that those behind the rehabilitation of Marawi have the best interest of the survivors in their heart. We cannot bear to see yet another rehabilitation programs such as those that took place in the aftermath of typhoons Pablo and Yolanda,” said RPRD board chairperson Bishop Ronel Fabriquer.
Bishop Fabriquer said he cannot imagine the pain that Marawi residents are reeling.
He added, “there are just no words for this.”
The RPRD, the human rights advocacy arm of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, will remain vigilant over what should be a just and pro-people rehabilitation of Marawi. (RPRD News)
(Photo grabbed from Philippine Daily Inquirer’s website)
