FIVE years after then-President Rodrigo Duterte declared this city liberated from ISIS-inspired militants, residents who have been allowed to return are now trying to restore normalcy to their lives, while thousands of others are still living in limbo in temporary shelters in the outskirts.
Mamarinta Radia, 58, stood outside his newly rebuilt hardware stores in Barangay Bubong Madaya Lilod, one of those areas where residents are already allowed to resettle.
Radia was lucky that his two-story building suffered only minor damages from the fighting and was able to secure a P75,000 grant from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“I was able to parlay that money and opened this hardware,” said Radia, who is a welder and a father of four children.
Radia sells small items of saw and bottles of fuel. Around him, one of his neighbors was still busy hauling sand and gravel to his house
His neighbor, ‘Dom,” a 50-year-old public school teacher who asked not to be identified has a lot of complaining to do.
‘Dom’ said his efforts to rebuild his family’s ancestral house have run around in circles due to numerous requirements to get a building permit from the Marawi City government.
“If they want to really help us, they should do away with (this) requirement. They should do away with the exorbitant fees,” Dom said.
Most of Marawi’s sections called the Main Affected Area are still off-limits to its residents although the government has constructed new mosques, buildings, and a sprawling sports stadium.
Outside the section, life has slowly returned among the residents who were allowed to rebuild their lives.
Beverly Modasir, who sells fried bananas near the Amai Pakpak General said her life with her five-year-old daughter has gone better in the past five years.
“My life has improved since we ran away from the war,” she said.
Madasir said she gave birth to her daughter at the temporary evacuation center at Lanao del Sur in 2017.
“I named her Mar-mar for Marawi-Martial Law. It’s a remembrance of the days of how we (survived) as evacuees,” Madasir.
On the new road in front of the temporary shelters in Barangay Sagonsongan, businessman Alex Tomawis was busy supervising his workers put finishing touches to a newly opened store.
A client has just walked out of the store after buying a bronze food tray worth P4,000.
Tomawis said his store is enjoying brisk sales on House decor and sofas for residents who are decorating the new homes they have constructed on the outskirts of Marawi City.
“Maranaos are traders. Pabayaan lang sana ng gobyerno ipabalik sa loob ng MAA, kami na ang bahala. Makabangon kami,” Tomawis said.
Drieza Liningding said there were still 5,000 families living in temporary shelters five years after the Marawi siege.
Liningding said there were some families who relocated elsewhere.
“They want to return but the government won’t allow them yet,” he said.
Mayor Majul Gandamra said water remains to be the no. 1 problem if the residents are allowed to back inside the MAA.
Gamdamra said the Local Water Utilities Administration has yet to start the construction of the P225 million bulk water system in Marawi City.
Gandamra said LWUA did not even lay a single water pipe in the MAA and has not drilled a water pumping station in Barangay Caloocan, Marawi City.
“Sometimes gusto ko sana sisigaw out of exasperation. Why are they taking it too long,” Gandamra blurted.