Chinese, Malaysian firms pledge to rebuild Marawi

FILE: Foreign firms from China and Malaysia have expressed interest to rebuild war-torn Marawi City, a Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) official said Friday. (PNA PHOTO)

MANILA – Foreign firms from China and Malaysia have expressed interest to rebuild war-torn Marawi City, a Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) official said Friday.

TFBM Undersecretary and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Secretary General Falconi Ace Millar said aside from local companies, foreign firms have expressed intention to rehabilitate Marawi.

“Foreign companies have signified their intention to participate in the master development plan of Marawi. Again, based on the informal communications, coming from China and Malaysia,” Millar said during a TFBM press briefing in Malacanang.

Millar said TFBM has yet to receive proposals but at least six proponents have already sent informal communication that they will submit unsolicited proposals before February 12.

“Based on the informal communication that we received, we expect about 5 or 6 proponents who will be submitting unsolicited proposals on Monday. That’s gonna be on February 12. That’s the deadline that we have told them,” Millar said.

Millar assured transparency in the selection process, saying a technical working group (TWG) will first review the unsolicited proposals.

The TWG, composed of different government agencies including Commission on Audit (COA), will then submit all the proponents with score cards to the Bangon Marawi Selection Committee.

“Bangon Marawi Selection Committee will act as the bids and awards committee who would recommend to the TFBM chairman the original proponent status,” Millar said.

“And then after that, the original proponent status will be subjected to a Swiss Challenge, wherein the public may again, submit their proposals contesting the original proponent,” he added.

Millar said groundbreaking of the Marawi City rebuilding is expected to be held during last week of April.

“That would be the start of the rehabilitation of the most affected areas which is composed of 24 barangays in Marawi,” he said.

Millar said the entire rehabilitation of Marawi City will be finished not later than December of 2021.

Based on initial estimate, at least PHP50 billion will be needed to rehabilitate the war-shattered city in southern Philippines.