President Duterte on Tuesday promised to rebuild Marawi into a prosperous city again once the Islamist militants are flushed out.

He likewise offered to add more to the P20-billion rehabilitation fund he allocated for the city if necessary.

“Tatapusin ko talaga ito (I’ll finish this),” the President said about the extremists’ threat in Marawi. “But one thing I will promise you, my brother Moro, I will see to it that Marawi will rise as a prosperous city again,” he added.

He said the government has laid down concrete plans for the reconstruction of the Marawi community. The Task Force Bangon Marawi, composed of various agencies of the government, is being created to hasten recovery efforts in Marawi City.

“The amount of P20 billion has already been allocated to ensure that this happens. More funds will be added, if necessary,” the President said.

“Meaningful and long-term support will also be made available, with the help of our partners in the private sector and the international community,” he added.

China donates P15 M

On Tuesday, China donated P15 million for the relief and rehabilitation of the war-torn city in a sign of solidarity with the Philippines.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua handed over the check to President Duterte during a meeting in Malacañang.

The Palace said the donation would augment the resources of the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on providing relief, medical, and other assistance to the families displaced by the conflict.

“The donation from China to the Philippines is an example of the flourishing partnership between the two countries and their shared commitment towards sustainable peace in the region,” a statement from the Presidential Communications Operations Office read.

Meanwhile, the President said that while he always knew that the Marawi conflict will be a “long fight,” he vowed to put an end to the siege of the Dawlah Islamiyah, popularly known as the Maute Group, “with dispatch” to pave the way for the rebuilding of the war-ravaged city.

At the Eid’l Fitr celebration in Malacañang, the President admitted he had the “complete picture” of the threat posed by the militants even while he was on a visit to Russia.

“When I declared martial law while I was in Moscow, I knew everything. I knew how long it would take for us and I knew the deployment of their snipers and where they are hiding their weapons,” Duterte said in his remarks.

The President assured the people affected by the conflict that the government is committed to securing just and lasting peace in the island.

“The military and the police remain hard at work to ending the crisis with dispatch, especially in Marawi,” he said.

Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao last May 23 after the militants attacked Marawi city while carrying Islamic State flags. He was forced to cut short his trip to Russia then to oversee the operations against the Islamic militants.

The President, meantime, revealed that he tried to convince some relatives to abandon the Maute terror group during their recent meeting.

Duterte told his cousins that the Islamic militant group’s ideology was only to kill the innocents and destroy communities.

“May mga pinsan ako nandoon sa Maute, aba kala ninyo. Because they were there, a cousin of mine died. Nagpunta sila doon, isang truck. Nagtaka nga ‘yung mga PSG kung sino ‘yan. Sabi ko, “Mga pinsan ko ‘yan. Hayaan mo,’” he said.

“Doon, nag-usap-usap kami, ‘yung iba, for the sake of adve

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Genalyn D. Kabiling

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