While rehabilitation experts believe that it will need two more years to remove the debris caused by the five-month long battle in the Philippine's sole Islamic City, the Philippine government is still optimistic that plans are now underway to convert the battle-torn Islamic City into Mindanao's commercial hub.
Philippine military Public Affairs Head Col. Edgard Arevalo said that Marawi will be the next commercial hub that will replace the trademark as a haven of terrorism.
Aside from converting the city into a commercial hub, Arevalo also said that the Agos river can be converted to make it similar to the river in Paris, France, that can even host cruise ships with tourists on board.
The side of the river can be turned into a boulevard and this will give residents a new opportunity to start a new life that will become the centerpiece of the Philippine's governance intervention.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte organized the inter-government agency task force to fast track the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the city. Thousands of houses were destroyed, including schools, when the Philippine government launched air and artillery strikes on the terrorists' position.
Marawi Mayor Majul Usman Gandamra said that it would need 90 billion pesos to rehabilitate the dilapidated city. In the meantime, the government said that 500 transitional shelters for war victims will be completed before the year ends.
Education officials stated that the government has to focus on rebuilding school communities so children will not fall into the trap of violent extremism recruitment, which is very active in Lanao Sur Province which Marawi is part of.
Furthermore, the Philippine government is also set to hire 50,000 fresh soldiers to suppress growing terror groups in the Southern Philippines. The Philippine government has increased salaries of soldiers to attract young men and women to join the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to protect the growing population in the city.
