Three years ago, Marawi City was liberated from terrorists after 5 months of combat operations. Over a thousand people were killed, including civilians and soldiers, while hundreds of thousands more were displaced.
Those who survived the harrowing siege continue to suffer needlessly. Sa loob ng tatlong taon, marami pa rin sa ating mga kababayan ang ni hindi pa nakababalik sa kanilang komunidad—mga pamilyang wala pa ring tahanan, mga batang hindi na nakapag-aaral, mga nakatatandang nagkakasakit at may karamdaman. At ngayong panahon ng pandemya, lalong namemeligro ang kanilang kalusugan at kabuhayan.
The slow and delayed rehabilitation of Marawi is inexcusable. Tigilan na ni Duterte ang pambobolang pauli-ulit na “Marawi will be restored to its former glory.” Totohanan at konkretong aksyon ang matagal nang hinihintay ng ating mga kababayan.
Government authorities need to act with urgency and compassion, while holding accountable those who committed lapses and abuses. If rehabilitation efforts will drag on for longer, the invisible wounds that the survivors are trying to recover from will fester, and might grow into a full-blown social unrest, which we can no longer afford.
Patuloy ang aking panalangin para sa mga pumanaw at biktima ng nangyaring karahasan sa Marawi, habang nananawagan para sa agaran at tuloy-tuloy nang pagbangon ng lungsod mula sa trahedya.
Access the handwritten copy of Dispatch from Crame No. 948, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_no._948