The government has unveiled an ambitious vision for the rehabilitation of Marawi, one year after Islamic State terrorists laid siege to the city.
The five-month war left much of the city — the largest Islamic settlement in the Philippines — in ruins.
The computer-generated images show new parks, malls, plazas and streets. It also features a two-hectare historical site with a museum containing memorabilia from the conflict.
The plan also aims to preserve the Bato Ali Mosque, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the siege.
The project is now estimated to cost more than Task Force Bangon Marawi’s projection last month, which amounted to 17.2 billion pesos.
The Task Force seeks to complete the rehabilitation in three to five years.
Task Force Secretariat Head Myles Rivera said: “The rehabilitation, infrastructure development, hard projects and social infrastructure projects will be implemented in three to five years. They will be complete.”
The government has chosen a consortium of Chinese and Filipino companies to complete the project, however, Task Force Bangon Marawi said it will still have to undergo a “Swiss challenge”.
Under a Swiss challenge, details and costs of a project are published to invite other parties to match them or offer a better proposal.
Rivera added the project aimed to bring peace to the city and surrounding areas.
“We have a long-term societal goal,” he said. “We want Marawi to be resilient. We also have a medium to long-term outcome so Marawi City and its surrounding cities should co-exist in peace.”
The rehabilitation plan for the city has been in the works since June 2017, while the battle for the city was continuing to rage.
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