Marawi Road Network Reconstruction Begins

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has formally started the rehabilitation of transcentral roads severely damaged by the armed conflict in Marawi City, Province of Lanao del Sur.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda together with DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative Yoshio Wada, Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Concern and Muslim Affairs Secretary Abdullah Mama-o, and Lanao del Sur Vice Governor Mamintal 'Bombit' Adiong Jr. led on Monday, February 4, 2018, the ceremonial groundbreaking of the P970 million road rehabilitation projects funded by a Japanese government grant in Lanao Del Sur Provincial Capitol in Marawi City.

Also present during the groundbreaking ceremony were Task Force Bangon Marawi Chairperson Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario, DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations and Technical Services Emil K. Sadain, DPWH UPMO Roads Management Cluster I Director Virgilio Castillo, Project Manager Francisco Sawali, DPWH Region 10 Director Zenaida Tan and Asst. Director Rey Peter Gille and other local officials.

Secretary Villar said that the project involves the civil works of Marawi Transcentral Road Contract Packages 1-B and 2 with a total length of 9.56 kilometers and detailed engineering designs of 13 other road sections under Contract Package 3 with a total length of 20.80 kilometers.

Contract Package 1-B under contract with under Al Hussien Construction covers the construction of Bacong-Poona-Marantao-Marawi Road (including drainage), GMA Terminal Access, Marawi-Cadre-New Capitol, Marcos Boulevard, and Idarus Road Section while Contract Package 2 under contract with Odim Kouzbary of Kouzbary Builders covers the MSU - GMA Road and Lumidong - Amai Pakpak Avenue.

Meanwhile, civil works for another JICA-funded Contract Package 1-A involving the 9.41-kilometer Bacong-Iligan-Marawi Road will soon commence anytime this year once the bidding process is completed.

The Japanese government, through JICA, has donated a total of JPY2 billion or approximately PHP970 million for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi City and its surrounding areas specifically of its 18.97-kilometers road network.

"These grant projects of Japan are first of the other significant projects that DPWH will be implementing in Marawi City and its surrounding areas within the next four years to ensure better mobility that will boost further growth to the economic conditions of Marawi City," added Secretary Villar.

In his briefing, Undersecretary Sadain said that completion of Contract Package 1B and Contract Package 2 are slated on April 2020 and February 2020, respectively, while construction of roads under Contract Package 3 will be carried out under JICA--assisted Road Network Development Project in Conflict Affected Areas in Mindanao (RNDP--CAAM), whose Loan Agreement will be signed on February 10, 2019.

Project Director Castillo of UPMO Roads Management Cluster 1 together with Project Manager Sawali were tapped by Undersecretary Sadain to supervise and monitor implementation of JICA-funded Marawi reconstruction and development projects in line with the President Rodrigo Roa Duterte administration’s program to fast track DPWH Build, Build, Build commitment.

The repair and rehabilitation of Marawi's roads comes over a year after the Department of National Defense announced the end of hostilities in the city on October 23, 2017.