Solon urges gov't to use Marawi City rehab funds

MANILA  --- Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman urged last January 29 Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) to utilize the 2019 and 2020 rehabilitation funds allotted for the rebuilding of Marawi City and prevent their reversion to the national treasury.

Hataman made the call following reports that some P406.5 million in Marawi rehabilitation funds expired and reverted to the national treasury.

"Let us learn from what happened to the 2018 Marawi budget, where more than P400 million remained unused and reverted back to the national coffers. Ilang bahay kaya ang hindi naipatayo dahil sa pagkawala ng halagang ito? Mas maraming pamilya sana ang napakain pa natin (How many houses could have been rebuilt with this amount? We could have fed several families),” Hataman said.

"Kung tayo man ang nasa posisyon ng mga kapatid nating taga-Marawi, hindi ba kayo magagalit sa nangyari? Marami sa kanila ang hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin makauwi, tapos mababalitaan nila na may 400 milyon na hindi nagamit para sa kanila (If you were in the place of our fellow brothers and sisters in Marawi, wouldn’t you be enraged? A lot of them have not yet returned to their homes, and they would hear the news that some P400 million were not used for them?),” he said.

He also asked Malacañang to thoroughly review the Marawi rehab implementation and make accountable those who have been remiss in their duties to the people.

Hataman, former  governor of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano vowed to do everything to keep the Taal recovery funds from suffering the same fate.

“Gawin din natin ito sa Marawi rehab funds para sa 2019 at 2020 (Let us do the same for the Marawi rehab funds in 2019 and 2020). Let us use our legislative power and prerogatives to give the people the help they deserve and to prevent another injustice from happening," Hataman said.

He said he is eyeing to file a measure to ease the release of rehabilitation funds and keep them from expiring if possible.

He noted that it is difficult to ascertain how much of the 2019 funds for Marawi remained unused, as President Rodrigo Duterte signed last December the bill extending the validity of the 2019 budget until the end of the year.

He cited news reports that pegged the amount of P3.5 billion as unspent in the 2019 budget for Marawi rehabilitation.

"We must ensure that this P3.5 billion is used to the full extent. Hindi na pwedeng mangyari ang bumalik ang pondo sa gobyerno (The reversion of funds to the government should not happen again)," he said.

"We hope that this year is the year we finally help the people of Marawi to get back on their feet. Matagal na nilang hinihintay na makabalik sa kanilang mga buhay at makabangon mula sa trahedya mula pa noong 2017. Sana maibigay na natin sa kanila (They have been hoping to return to their normal lives and rise up from the tragedy since 2017. I hope that we could give them this),” he added. (FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES, PNA, MINDANAO EXPOSE')