Marawi residents now on the long road to recovery

MARAWI CITY ---After months of conflict, residents have started to return to their homes in this city, bringing with them hope and resolve to overcome ordeals.

Abpisa Barese, 63, and her family evacuated their home on May 26, three days since the fire-fight began. Their house is located in Barangay Basak Malutlut, the village where the first encounter between the government troops and ISIS-linked Maute group happened.

Abpisa left with her husband Norlan, 67, and their daughter Zukra, 32.

Faced with challenges while in the evacuation center, she had to be strong in order to hurdle setbacks and be back on track for her family.

She noted how internally displaced persons (IDPs) made sure nobody was left behind in evacuation centers and the spirit of bayanihan and unity was deeply felt by everyone. This helped her get back on her feet as she struggled to provide for her family.

Abpisa is one of the more than 4,000 residents of BasakMalutlut who were given clearance to return home the other week.

Upon learning that they could finally return to their homes, Abpisa felt hopeful for the first time in months. She felt happy, but she was also horrified at the thought of seeing what was left of their home.

"Makambaling ta den (We could go back now)," she said.

Teary eyed, Abpisa said: "Matagal ko nang gustong bumalik sa bahay namin. Hindi ako mapakali, gusto ko makita ang bahay namin. Sabi nila nasira raw."

The day they went back, they cried upon seeing what was left of their home that was almost razed to the ground. Their house appeared to be among those that were looted and they were left with nothing but damaged properties that were beyond use.

Abpisa said she doesn't know how to start rebuilding their lives after the siege. Their family has to continue making both ends meet with the meager resources they have.

Despite all of these, Abpisa believes that Meranaos can continue to survive and surmount these painful ordeals and that the challenges they are currently facing are meant to teach them a lesson or two.

Abpisa's family was among the thousand families which received food items from the regional government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

With government support and their cooperation, she believes Meranaos will surely recover and they will soon see the goodness that has come in the guise of a tragedy.

With the city now declared free from the clutches of terror groups, the time has come for the people of Marawi City to not only rebuild and rehabilitate their city, but also rebuild their lives as proud Meranaos.

“We will rise...”

Chants of “Allahu Akbar” were heard through sobs as the Darul Iftah led the prayers at the morning’s flag-raising ceremony last November 1 in front of the Marawi City Hall – the first since the siege began five months ago.

Looking back at history, he said it is the first time that Marawi experienced a conflict of such magnitude for “our (Maranao) forefathers never allowed colonizers to occupy this land.”

Now aim Ampuan, president of the Lanao Youth Congress, likened the flag-raising event to the catchphrase, ‘Bangon Marawi.’ “It signifies hope for us, the youth: Despite our city’s fall, we will rise like the Philippine flag.”

Salim Abdulgafur, 19, and Hidayah Tinganun, 21, are two of so many young men and women who were directly affected by the conflict. Both are students of Mindanao State University-Main Campus in Marawi.

Both of them could still remember hearing the first explosion in the afternoon of May 23.

Salim was at home with his family. He did not panic at first, since random shootouts occurred in the city every now and then. It was later that day, when he saw men in black shirts with their faces covered, that he realized that the situation was different.

In the case of Hidayah, she was at the Marawi City Hall processing her internship papers when the siege began. When she realized it was an armed attack, she wanted to go home right away, but transportation was so difficult.

After negotiating with a tricycle driver who was willing to drive her home, she immediately left the city hall.

Both heard the sound of gunfire from their respective homes.

Salim’s and Hidayah’s lives were greatly affected by the siege that lasted more than 150 days. Both were displaced, and have had to depend on relief goods provided by various government agencies and non-government organizations.

Salim said he felt dismayed that his college education was disrupted by the incident, a feeling that Hidayah shared. During the first few days of the siege, they had hoped the conflict would end soon since they wanted to go back to school as soon as possible.

And they still want to go back to school.

When the ‘liberation’ of Marawi was declared, Hidayah said the feeling was “unexplainable, but in a positive way.” Believing that Marawi will bounce back soon, she expressed hope that the rebuilt city would be “more organized, policy-wise,” so that there will be no repeats of the siege that interrupted their daily lives.

A smiling Salim is hopeful that as soon as he finishes his studies and he then becomes a civil engineer, he would be given the chance to help rebuild Marawi.

Together with Nowaim, Hidayah, and Salim were 60 other youth leaders from Lanao del Sur. (Bureau of Public Information – ARMM / MINDANAO EXPOSE’)