SEC. ANDANAR: Pilipinas, nitong linggong ito ginunita natin ang ikaapat na anibersaryo ng Marawi Siege na nagsimula noong May 23, 2017 at tumagal din ng mga limang buwan. Dalawandaan at limampung sibilyan at mga puwersa ng pamahalaan ang nasawi sa tinagal ng labanan kontra sa mga teroristang inspirado umano ng ISIS.

Noong natapos ang bakbakan at natalo ang mga terorista, lumitaw ang malagim na katotohanan – giniba ng mga walanghiya ang Marawi, linapastangan ang kagandahan nito at binastos pati na ang mga sagradong masjid o mosque dito.

Ngayong gabi kakamustahin natin ang muling pagbangon ng tinatawag na summer capital of the south – Marawi Rising ang ating pag-uusapan.

Ito po ang inyong Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, welcome to The Cabinet Report.

[VTR]

SEC. ANDANAR: Nandito pa rin kayo sa Cabinet Report. Kausap natin ngayon si Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario ng Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development; si Sec. Ed ay siya ring Chairman ng Task Force Bangon Marawi.

Good evening po, Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Del Rosario.

DHSUD SEC. DEL ROSARIO: Good evening, Sec. Martin. Mabuhay ka!

SEC. ANDANAR: Sec. Ed, bago po ang inyong kagawaran. Samantalahin na po natin ang pagkakataong ito upang ipakilala ang Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development sa mga kababayan natin. Ano po ang pinakatrabaho at saklaw ng serbisyong hatid ng DHSUD?

DHSUD SEC. DEL ROSARIO: The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development was created with the merging of the former HLURB and HUDCC. So ang HUDCC ako ang Chair, it’s a coordinating council on housing and urban development. Iyong HLURB naman, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, are responsible in the housing regulations. So pinag-merge natin iyan, iyong HUDCC saka iyong HLURB to create the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

SEC. ANDANAR: Kayo rin po ang Chairman ng TFBM. Which came first, Sec.?

DHSUD SEC. DEL ROSARIO: Ang pagiging Chairman ko ng Task Force Bangon Marawi was only mandated October of 2017. I was appointed Chair of HUDCC July of 2017, so nauna iyong posisyon ko as HUDCC Chair and then a few months after, October, Administrative Order No. 2 was issued by the Office of the President from the previous Chair, Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of DND, it was transferred to me as the Chair of TFBM being the Chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.

Kasi makikita natin dito ano ang logic kung bakit ginawa iyon ng ating mahal na Pangulo dahil iyong trabaho ng housing ay sa amin at ang in a calamity-stricken area ang kauna-unahang dapat na bigyan natin attention ay iyong pangangailangan na pabahay ng mga displaced families.

SEC. ANDANAR: Let’s move on to Marawi. Ano po ang vision ng pamahalaan sa pagbangon ng Marawi?

DHSUD SEC. DEL ROSARIO: Well we take off from the instruction of our President who said and I quote, he said: “I’ll see to it that Marawi will rise as a prosperous city again.” So we had three general objectives that would serve as our vision in the rehabilitation. First, the rehabilitation will serve as a catalyst for growth and sustainable development with all the infrastructures that we are now constructing. I am very much confident that all these infra will now be a catalyst for growth and sustainable development.

Second, this will serve as a template for good governance. It’s very important that the governance in Marawi City must have something that is higher level as compared before and good governance will spell a great difference in the progress of Marawi City.

Before the siege happened, in terms of competitiveness, out of 145 cities nationally, in the whole country there are 145 cities, in terms of business competitiveness, Marawi City is 145th and I hope with the rehabilitation, this will now be prominent and form part of the progress of Marawi City.

And our third general objective is to develop a template or model for a peaceful environment. Napakaimportante iyang vision na iyan, kailangan magkaroon nang peaceful environment. Remember peace and development is inseparable, hindi puwedeng magkahiwalay. If there is no peaceful environment, there will be no development to speak.

Before the siege, the perception of the public is that Marawi is a place where there is no peace and order at all. And true enough, in terms of competitiveness, it’s 145th among 145 cities.

SEC. ANDANAR: Mention Marawi Sec. in the term ‘rise’ isn’t far behind, parati po silang nababanggit in the same breath. What does the government see as rising in Marawi, Sec. Ed?

DHSUD SEC. DEL ROSARIO: Well, napakagandang tanong Sec. Martin ano. Actually iyang ‘rise’ ginamit namin as an acronym to signify also and give focus to our vision – ‘R’ -Resilience, ‘I’ – Identity, ‘S’ – Sustainability and ‘E’ – Evolution; so iyan ang aming battle cry – ‘RISE’! That came from the President’s words also that he would like to see to it that Marawi will rise as a prosperous city again. When it rises, we want it to be resilient, there is identity of the Marawi culture, there is sustainability in everything that we do and there is evolution – it evolves from the present to a much better future.

SEC. ANDANAR: Marahil ay mayroon pong nagtatanong, bakit ba kailangang ibangon ang Marawi, bakit ito kailangang pagtuunan ng atensiyon at salapi? Ano po ba ang kahalagahan ng Marawi, Sec. Ed? What is its significance?

DHSUD SEC. DEL ROSARIO: Marawi is the only Islamic City in the whole country and since the Muslim community has a big percentage of our population, I think it’s about 15% of the total population of the country, so napakalaking group na nakaka-influence sa ating everyday life and for all Muslims – whether you reside anywhere in Mindanao, everything is focused in Marawi City as the only Islamic City of our country.

Kaya kapag mayroong mga foreigners na nagpupunta ng Pilipinas, they would like to go to Marawi City because it has been the center of trade in the Muslim world in the Philippines. Historically ang Marawi even during the American times pumasok sa Marawi City; even during the Japanese time, nagpunta pa rin sila sa Marawi City.

And that is the only—the main reason why iyong ISIS gusto nilang mag-establish ng kanilang foothold in the Philippines, in Marawi City – because it is historically significant. It is strategic in nature to establish a caliphate or their foothold in the Philippines in Marawi City. And considering also that more than 90% of the population are Muslims.

So napaka-strategic ng Marawi City kaya kung mabibigyan natin ng pagkakataon ang Marawi City to rise again, bring it back better than before, we will be very successful in our rehabilitation. Kaya nga iyong general objectives natin can be correlated as a mission, as a catalyst for growth and sustainable development, good governance and the attainment of peaceful environment. ‘Pag nakuha natin iyan Sec. Martin, I am certain, bubulusok ang Marawi City.

SEC. ANDANAR: Napag-usapan natin ang kaniyang significance o kahalagahan. Ngunit ano bang nakikita ng pamahalaan na potensiyal ng Marawi?

DHSUD SEC. DEL ROSARIO: First, economically, as I have said, it is the center of trade, Sec. Mart, in Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, as far as Jolo, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, sa Central Mindanao, lahat sila ay may link sa Marawi City. Kaya noong dini-develop natin ang master development plan ng Marawi City, ang projection natin, being the center of trade among Muslims, they have international connections and always it is focused on Marawi City. Kaya economically, napakalaki ng potensiyal.

And it is very important to consider also among all Muslim communities in the whole country, ang Marawi City ang pinakamataas ang educational level among Muslims. Highest ang educational level, mas maraming mga graduates ang Marawi City because of the Mindanao State University. So nandiyan na iyong pool natin ng professional manpower. So very tremendous ang kaniyang manpower potential.

And because of this manpower potential, definitely this will attract more business, investment not only among Muslims but even Christian investors will surely go there. In terms of tourism, alam mo sa paningin ko, among Muslim areas, this will be the number one place that must be developed for tourism. Why? Ang weather condition ng Marawi City is between Baguio City and Tagaytay. If ang coldness ng Baguio is this much, ang Tagaytay this much, ang Marawi ay nasa gitna because it is 2,000 feet above sea level. Ganoon kataas ang Marawi City. And then, mayroon siyang lake which is the biggest, the Lake Lanao is the biggest [in Mindanao], second biggest lake in the whole country. Makikita mo iyong potensiyal ng [Lanao] Lake for tourism – water sports sprouting off different resorts around the lake which has a very peaceful environment.

Napakataas ng potensiyal for tourism kaya ang kinakailangan natin dito ay infrastructure to attract both foreign and local tourists. So napakaganda, Sec. Martin, ng potensiyal at napakataas ng potensiyal ng Marawi City.

Now, we are developing a convention center, a sports complex right in front of Lake Lanao. And imagine, iyong Lake Lanao, more than two kilometers ay gagawin nating promenade. Magiging walkway iyan. We will have it constructed in such a way that when you go there, tourists will go there, will enjoy the tranquillity in a modern setting. Iyon ang makikita mo sa transition ng most affected area, tinamaan ng mga bomba. Imagine mo, 2,000 buildings, wala nang lahat iyon; lahat na iyan peace memorial, school of living tradition, Marawi museum, Grand Padian Market, mall-like market, mayroong sports complex at mayroong convention center.

So iyon ang inu-offer natin na changes, na transformation ng Marawi City. I think, Sec. Martin, you can visualize already what will happen with a road network, now with traffic lights, with CCTVs.

SEC. ANDANAR: Nasaan na po tayo ngayon sa ating programang ibangon o itayong muli ang Marawi?

DHSUD SEC. DEL ROSARIO: Well, Sec. Martin, iyan ang hinihintay kong tanong mo. Kasi ang mga sinasabi ngayon ng mga kontra sa ating gobyerno o kontra sa development ng Marawi City ang naghahanap ng butas para makatira sa ating gobyerno, at kung anuman iyong magandang ginagawa natin, seemingly, parang crab mentality – pinapababa! Because of, we can say, their political objectives. But remember, iyong nagsasabi na bakit for years ay mabagal ang transformation or rehabilitation, these are the people, first, they do not know what they are talking about; second, this is not constructive criticism. It is meant to derail. It is meant to inflict injury or hurt to the government who has been religiously undertaking the rehabilitation with sincerity.

So let’s put things in the right perspective. In the rehabilitation of Marawi, we are following a methodology, and it is composed of three phases. Ang first phase natin ng rehabilitation is what we call “early intervention activities”. If any calamity-stricken area whether it is manmade or natural, ang una nating gagawin is to give attention to the needs of the people. Remember, hundreds of thousand ang displaced families, uunahin mo ba ang infra? Ang uunahin mo ay early intervention, mabigyan sila ng food, clothing and shelter. Buhayin natin iyong kanilang livelihood situation, iyong kanilang health services, hygiene. Kasi kapag may displacement, pupunta iyan sa evacuation centers, ano ang pagkain nila?

So napakalaki ng dapat gawin sa early intervention activities wherein it is focused more on relief operations, rebuilding their lives by rebuilding livelihood, rebuilding the educational system, organizing them in such a way that we can institute interventions that will be organized. And doctrinally, ang UN doctrines whenever there is any calamity, it takes six months to one year to undertake early intervention activities.

And these early intervention activities are focused more on what we say food, clothing and shelter. So we did it in 11 months. But after 11 months, we transitioned to the Phase 2 of the rehabilitation which is “debris management”. Unlike ang calamity na tinamaan ng bagyo just like Yolanda, bagsak lahat – destruction. All you have to do is to rebuild it immediately. In Marawi, it’s different. It’s manmade, and millions of tons of debris that have to be removed; ang bomba, thousands na imbedded on top and under five to ten meters below the ground. We have to look for those. And we recovered almost 8,000 explosive – we had to remove that.

I was approached by a foreign contractor, and I was told, they can do the debris management, removing the debris – millions of tons and clearing the bombs in three years. We did it in one year and four months. See? We cannot start anything unless we remove the debris and we remove the bombs, and that was completed only in February of 2020. So ilan na ang nawala sa atin noon? Two years na kasi sinabi natin ang siege May 23 nagsimula, eh kailan ba natapos? November na. So ibig sabihin six months wala tayong magawa dahil nagpuputukan. Ang iba kasi, ang reference point ay May 23, at hindi kinonsider ang early intervention activities. Hindi nila kinonsider iyong Phase 2, iyong debris management. Kapag ifinactor po ang early intervention, ifinactor mo ang debris management, tanggal na ang almost two and a half years.

So when did we start, in phase three, which is the actual construction – July of 2020 last year lang. July 2020 nagsimula ang vertical at horizontal infra. Iyong iba nagsimula noong July, iyong iba nagsimula noong August, September hanggang December. And you will see now, 65% na kami as of May. Ang bilis ng transition. Ang bilis ng infra construction. Iyan kasi ay ayaw intindihin noong ayaw umintindi kahit alam nila, but they do not like to understand.

Sec. Mart, na mahirap mag-rebuild ng war-torn community. In fact, in the Middle East, iyong Aleppo, until now ay more than ten years na still hindi nadi-develop, hindi nata-transform at hindi nari-rebuild. Pero tayo, I can assure you most of the infrastructure na ginawa natin matatapos by December of 2021 and lahat ng public infrastructure whether horizontal or vertical will be completed within the term of the President.

SEC. ANDANAR: Ano ang inyong masasabi tungkol sa mga kumukontra at bumabatikos sa trabaho ng Task Force Bangon Marawi, na ito ay mabagal daw?

DHSUD SEC. DEL ROSARIO: We are now tapping the civil society organizations in Marawi City, before itong mga CSOs na ‘to very critical of us, now they are now our partners as our third party monitoring to show transparency. And whenever I go there, mayroon akong update from the implementing agencies kasama ang civil society organizations – sila mismo ang nagku-question, nag-a-ask ng queries, mga implementing agencies.

We invite contractors na medyo mabagal ang ginagawa, sila ngayon ang ginigisa ng civil society organizations together with us because we officially commissioned them to be part of our third party monitoring. So as if kami, nagmu—

I encourage the participation of these civil society organizations.

Alam mo itong mga leaders ng CSOs, very vocal sila against us and even one of the leaders testified in Congress during may confirmation last year, ayaw niyang ma-confirm ako. Now very vocal siyang nagsasabi, “TFBM is doing the right thing. We are satisfied with the performance of TFBM,” and they are very supportive.

To the Marawi residents, I would like to assure everyone that we remain committed to the instruction of the President, that we would like to see Marawi to rise again as a prosperous city. Iyon po ang instruction ng ating Presidente, iyan po ang aming mandato mula sa akin hanggang pinakamababang miyembro ng Task Force Bangon Marawi. And for us, our commitment to Marawi is always first priority and we will do the best we can to ensure that the rehabilitation will be completed within the term of our beloved President.

SEC. ANDANAR: Maraming salamat, Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary and Task Force Bangon Marawi Chairman Ed Del Rosario.

When we return, we will speak with Task Force Bangon Marawi Field Office Manager, Assistant Secretary Felix Castro and Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra. Keep it here, this is The Cabinet Report.

[AD]

SEC. ANDANAR: Nagbabalik ang Cabinet Report at kausap natin ngayon mula sa Task Force Bangon Marawi, si Asec. Felix Castro. Magandang gabi po, Asec. Felix

ASEC. CASTRO: Assalamualaikum, Sec. Martin.

SEC. ANDANAR: Asec., pakibigyan po kami ng update sa mga trabaho ninyo on the ground.

ASEC. CASTRO: Siguro kailangan maisip natin na iyong Marawi ay nahati sa most affected area – ito iyong ground zero na tinatawag natin = at iyong less affected area. Iyong mga proyekto sa less affected area ay halos patapos na – iyong mga kalsada, mga tulay, mga ginagawang building. Ang pinaka-ongoing lang iyong city jail.

Ngayon iyong sa most affected area, iyan iyong mga maraming imprastraktura na ginagawa natin ngayon – nandiyan iyong Grand Padian or Grand Market na tatlong building iyan at iyan ay inaasahan na matatapos sa katapusan ng December this year. Nandiyan iyong mga ilang kilometrong kalsada, iyong kalsada sa most affected area, sisementuhin natin iyan, lalagyan natin ang lugar ng drainage system; iyan ay matatapos katapusan ng September.

Iyong mga eskuwelahan – for example, magtatayo tayo ng sampung school building, four storey kada school building, around 200 classrooms iyan, inaasahan natin na iyong first two ay matatapos this year at iyong mga walo na kasunod ay matatapos siguro a little over this year ano; but ongoing iyan, ang gagawin natin diyan, ibi-bid one building at a time para sabay-sabay ang pagtatayo.

Iyong ating barangay hall complex, nakatapos na tayo actually ng isa, in-inaugurate natin noong Sabado, iyong Tolali Barangay Hall Complex – mayroon itong madrasa at mayroon itong rural health unit. At iyong mga iba pang barangay hall baka matapos natin—kasi halos matapos na sila, siguro baka next month makatapos tayo ng tatlo and susunod uli iyong iba.

Iyong mga mosque ano, mayroon tayong pinapa-repair na mosque – anim iyan – ang pinakamalaki diyan iyong Grand Mosque, siguro mga 60% na iyan. Ang sabi noong contractor matatapos din niya this year. Iyong Bato Mosque, nagpapagawa tayo nang bagong Bato Mosque at nagiba kasi iyon at this year din ihahabol natin. So titingnan natin, talagang ang target date natin ay this year na matapos iyan kasi nga iyon ang pangako ni Secretary Del Rosario at hinahabol natin.

Nagkaroon ng pandemic last year, of course naapektuhan tayo, during the start nagsi-uwian iyong mga workers in fact ‘no. But slowly after a few months nagbalikan iyong mga workers natin, iyong iba hindi na bumalik, kumuha tayo ng bago. But siguro mga bandang July/August talagang tuluy-tuloy na naman iyong ating trabaho at may instruction si Secretary Del Rosario na mag-full blast sila.

Despite the COVID, nagkaroon tayo ng protocol doon sa loob, nagtalaga ng health and safety officer kada company to ensure that they are regularly checking the health of their workers at tinitingnan iyan. At kung sinuman iyong may lagnat or magkaroon ng symptoms ay ina-isolate at tini-treat ano. So, so far we are trying to catch up with the effects of the pandemic. Hopefully we have still positive, ang sight namin still the end of 2021.

SEC. ANDANAR: Maraming salamat, Asec. Felix Castro, Task Force Bangon Marawi Field Officer.

Ngayon naman ang makakausap natin ay ang Mayor mismo ng Marawi – si Mayor Majul Gandamra. Ano po ang inyong pinapangarap para sa Marawi sa reconstruction nito?

MARAWI CITY MAYOR GANDAMRA: Ito pong ginagawa ng ating national government through the Task Force Bangon Marawi ay talagang napakalaking tulong po dito sa Marawi City. In fact itong mga ginagawa na mga proyekto at mga interventions ay nagdudulot ng kumpiyansa para sa ating mga kababayan.

After the siege, bumalik ho ang sigla ng ating ekonomiya dito sa Marawi City dahil siguro sa kumpiyansa sa ating gobyerno.

In 2015 or in 2016 when I assumed office, we are just collecting P500,000 annually para sa ating local revenues. Pero ngayon po, in 2020, I was able to collect—the local government of Marawi City was able to collect at least 37 million pesos local revenue at iyan po ay still counting at puwede pa hong mataasan iyan probably because of the proliferation of business establishments dito sa Marawi City.

In other words, bumalik po ang kumpiyansa ng ating mga kababayan lalo na po iyong pag-invest ng kanilang mga pera para sa pag-establish ng mga businesses dito ho sa Marawi City. And I would like to credit this… a part of this confidence, iyong presence ng ating national government, iyong kanilang support, iyong stability ng peace and order. And because of the strong support from the national government ay talaga hong bumalik ang kumpiyansa ng ating mga kababayan.

And of course the support, the cooperation of our constituents na makikita natin na sa loob ng Marawi City—kasi para ho malaman ng ating mga kababayan na ang Marawi City is consisting of 96 barangays and out of these 96 barangays, 72 barangays ay nakabalik ho sa normal na pamumuhay. And you can see left and right, makikita natin big ang small establishments ay talaga hong umuusbong dito ho sa ating siyudad. So iyan po ay sa tulong ng ating gobyerno and of course the cooperation of our people.

SEC. ANDANAR: Sa mga nakikita ngayong itinatayo, Mayor Majul, ano po sa tingin ninyo ang mga pinakainaabangan ng mga taga-Marawi?

MARAWI MAYOR GANDAMRA: Napaka-importante po na matapos po iyong mga infrastructures na nagbu-boost ng economic operation ng ating siyudad, lalo na ho sa nangyari dito sa Marawi City na ang talagang tinamaan ay ang ating central business district. With the establishment of the Grand [Padian] Market, iyan po ay malaking tulong ho sa ating mga businessmen at magpapataas po sa operation ng ating ekonomiya dito ho sa Marawi City.

SEC. ANDANAR: Sa parte naman po ng LGU, what are you looking forward to?

MARAWI MAYOR GANDAMRA: With the establishment of the other infrastructure such as convention center, sports stadium at ibang imprastraktura ay talaga hong magkakaroon ho tayo ng pagbu-boost po ng ating ekonomiya dahil iyon pong convention center ay puwede ho nating magamit ito sa maraming events na puwede hong pagkakitaan ng local government, at makakatulong po sa ating ekonomiya dito ho sa Marawi City.

Iyong sports stadium, lalo hong napaka-importante po ito dahil tayo po ay makakatulong din ho sa ating pag-promote ng ating sports dito ho sa Marawi City, lalo na ho ang ating mga kabataan. At iyan po ay makakatulong din ho sa pag-boost ng ating ekonomiya dahil ho maaaring ito po ay magiging venue for the conduct of big events such as Palarong Pambansa. Puwede nating i-invite ang ating mga nearby LGUs na dito ho gawin iyong mga ganoong mga events. So napakalaking tulong po ito dito sa atin sa Marawi City.

So iyan po ang aking nilu-look forward na sana po ay matapos na ito doon sa given timeline by the government.

SEC. ANDANAR: Mayor Majul, may mensahe po ba kayo sa mga taga-Marawi at sa inyong mga prospective investors and partners?

MARAWI MAYOR GANDAMRA: Nais ko pong sabihin sa aking mga kababayan na huwag ho tayong mawalan ng pag-asa dahil ang ating gobyerno ay ginagawa ho ang lahat para nang sa ganoon ay matulungan po ang pagbangon natin dito ho sa Marawi City. But of course, napaka-importante rin po na tayo mismo ay tulungan natin ang ating sarili, suportahan natin ang ating gobyerno para nang sa ganoon ay mas mapabilis ang ating pagbangon at iyong pag-deliver ng lahat ng serbisyo ay mas maayos.

So, sa ngayon po ay with the support of the national government through the Tak Force Bangon Marawi, makikita po natin na may mga proyekto na sa tingin ko na kapag ito ay natapos ay mapapakinabangan po ninyo na mga kababayan ko.

At doon naman po sa ating mga kaibigan at ating mga kapitbahay, dito po sa Marawi City ay handa po tayong tumanggap ng mga gustong tumulong sa atin, lalo na po iyong mga gustong mag-invest dahil malaki pong potensiyal ang Marawi City na in terms of business investment ay napakalaki po ang potensiyal dahil ito po ay sentro ng Lanao del Sur. We have 39 municipalities na dito ho nagku-converge at iyan po ay napakalaking potensiyal. And we are inviting our neighbors, our friends na mag-invest po dito sa Marawi City with the improving peace and order situation and with the strong presence of the national government and with the cooperation of our people, ako po ay very confident na babangon muli ang Marawi City with all your support.

Maraming, maraming salamat po.

SEC. ANDANAR: Maraming salamat, Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra.

Sa ating pagbabalik, pag-usapan natin ang tututok on the ground sa pagbangon ng Marawi, ang sangay ng ating Radyo Pilipinas doon. Makakapanayam natin si Philippine Broadcasting Service Director General Rizal Giovanni “Sonny B” Aportadera. Tutok lang sa Cabinet Report.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

SEC. ANDANAR: Welcome back to the Cabinet Report.

Kausap natin ngayon ang isang miyembro ng pamilya ng PCOO. Ang Director General ng Philippine Broadcasting Service na si Rizal Giovanni ‘Bong” Aportadera. Magandang gabi sa iyo, Bong.

PBS DG APORTADERA: Maayong gabi sa tanan. Magandang gabi po.

SEC. ANDANAR: Bong, bigyan mo naman ng overview ang mga kababayan natin tungkol sa presence ng Philippine Broadcasting Service sa Marawi, at kung ano na ang naging karanasan nito sa Marawi siege?

PBS DG APORTADERA: Ang RP1 o DXSO Marawi po, matagal na po siya sa area natin dito sa Marawi. Naka-base po siya doon mismo sa MSU campus. And for the longest time po, it has been isa sa mga go-to stations po ng Marawi for news and information.

Noong nag-start po iyong siege sa Marawi, we were the last station to air doon sa area kasi po siyempre naghahanap ng source of information because it was chaotic na. Iyong ating station chief doon, si Bai Sora [Sarigala] and her team, naging skeletal force doon pero they were still trying their best to send the news and information locally, sa area, sa Marawi; and at the same time, trying to feed us, kahit sa akin po, sa cellphone directly, iyong status po. It went off the air eventually.

Noong bumalik na tayo, noong the end of the siege, sila rin po iyong unang nakabalik kahit po 300 watts lang iyong power. Hindi po ganoon kalakas iyong power niya pero it was enough to cover the entire Marawi City. Siyempre nagkaroon din po ng damage iyong ating station doon, but thank God ay wala pong nangyari sa ating staff.

When I visited iyong ating istasyon po sa Marawi a month after, noong tumigil na iyong putukan, I was amazed on how the community—I witnessed po kasi, the Mayor was there. There was a program po and they were giving commendations and recognition po sa ating istasyon doon on how valuable po RP 1 Marawi is sa Marawi City. At nakita ko rin po iyong active participation po mismo ng ating istasyon in almost every part of development, in terms of support, media support. And I have nothing but good words for RP 1 Marawi kasi po even before pa, ganoon na po iyong role and the relevance ng ating istasyon po sa Marawi City.

SEC. ANDANAR: Kumusta naman ngayon ang Radyo Pilipinas/RP 1 sa Marawi?

PBS DG APORTADERA: As part also of the Task Force Bangon Marawi rehab, na-rehab din po ang ating istasyon mismo sa Marawi. To date, iyong dating 300 watts niya, ngayon po ay we are firing up 5,000 watts already. Because 5,000, we are now able to cover even parts of Maguindanao and Cotabato. Our station in Marawi has been focusing their localized programs on that. So nakakatulong po, nakaka-reinforce din po on the growth of Marawi City as it continues. Hindi lang po pang-Marawi, but for areas po reached by RP 1 Marawi.

Sa maraming aspeto po, we give, we open the doors po para lahat po ay makapag-access to public radio.

SEC. ANDANAR: Parte ang istasyon natin sa Marawi sa network ng Radyo Pilipinas sa buong bansa samantalang sila rin ay naninilbihan sa local community nila. Ano ang paghahati-hati sa programming nila between national news and information and local that is Marawi and BARMM-focused news and information?

PBS DIR. GEN. APORTADERA: All that we require po, not just for Marawi but all our network stations, from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi is iyong syndicated program po, iyon mas carry talaga – ibig sabihin you have to air it. Tulad po iyong nationwide network news, Laging Handa lalo na ngayon because we are into COVID radio, iyon po ‘yung ating thrust ngayon since last year. Sa isang araw po, sa 12 hours ba or 18 hours ng kanilang operation, 40% diyan ay manggagaling po dito sa central, mainly news and information and current affairs.

Iyong 60% or 70% sa kanila na po iyan, for localized programming because may mga commitments din po ang ating mga RP1 stations sa local government units or sa provincial government. Importante iyong koneksiyon na magagawa ng istasyon with the locality para may sense of ownership din po iyong ating local area with the station. Kasi nandiyan naman din iyan, panghabangbuhay na nandiyan iyong ating istasyon.

SEC. ANDANAR: Bong, ano ang mensahe mo sa mga tagapakinig ng RP1 Marawi?

PBS DIR. GEN. APORTADERA: Daghang salamat, Sec. First of all I would like to let everyone know na Bisaya ako and I’m a proud Mindanaoan. I grew up in Mindanao, now I come to an age to understand what is happening around, not just in Marawi. Radio in general plays a pivotal part dito sa Pilipinas. Every time I go to events or conferences and they keep on asking the same question, “Buhay pa ba ang radyo?” Oo, buhay na buhay po ang radyo sa Pilipinas most especially.

I know for a fact that there are still a lot of areas na hindi pa rin accessible to on-demand information or real time information through your cellular phone or whatever data gadget you have. Iyong ibang tao po at karamihan naman nandoon po iyong mga kapatid natin sa Mindanao, they’re still relying on traditional media – and this is where radio still comes in and fills in that void. Especially in the case of RP1 Marawi during the conflict and after the conflict, doon ko po na-appreciate how, and I salute them on how effective radio is – not was, is.

And I will continue supporting RP1 Marawi and all of its efforts kasi po ang role po ng RP1 Marawi diyan – make sure parallel tayo sa growth, make sure the people are always informed especially your primary target audience iyong locality po natin. Kailangan po talaga na they are always informed of what is happening, hindi iyong “Wala kaming alam eh.” RP1 Marawi will do its best to fill in that void.

SEC. ANDANAR: Maraming salamat, Philippine Broadcasting Service Director Rizal Giovanni ‘Sonny B’ Aportadera.

Pilipinas, kung babalikan natin ang kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, makikita natin ang prominent role ng Marawi, bukod sa pagiging isa sa mga commercial hub ng Mindanao, ito na rin ay naging puntahan ng turista bilang summer capital of the south. Tunay na masagana at maganda ang Marawi in more ways than one. Ngayong nalalapit na ang kaniyang muling pagbangon, inaabangan ‘di lang ng mga taga-Marawi kundi ng buong bansa na tunay nating makita ang potensiyal nito.

Marawi is a longstanding gateway to the Muslim heart of the Philippines, a part of us which binds us even more firm with our neighbors in ASEAN particularly with Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia and the East ASEAN Growth Area or BIMP-EAGA. As we look forward to the reconstruction of Marawi, we also look eagerly ahead to our brothers and sisters there returning on the path of peace, prosperity and prominence.

Babangon ang Marawi, Marawi will rise again and inshallah with Marawi’s rise will come faster and better growth with the region for Mindanao, for the country.

Para sa Cabinet Report, ito po ang Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas, mabuhay ang Pilipino!

###

—
News and Information Bureau-Data Processing Center