Home-grown labor should be used in the reconstruction of Marawi City once it has been rid of the ISIS-inspired Maute terrorists who continue to occupy at least four barangays, a large Moro business group proposed.
Marawi residents, especially those who have lost their homes and livelihood, should be allowed to enjoy the economic windfall that will arise from the Duterte administration’s P10-billion reconstruction fund, the Bangsa Moro Federal Business Council Inc. said.
BFBCI chairman Abdulgani Macatoman expressed hope that government troops can regain full control over the southern city by the end of Ramadan’s observance so the recovery process can finally begin.
He said that utilizing the city’s mostly Maranaw labor force in the reconstruction efforts will also help hasten the healing process, because many of them now find themselves jobless in the wake of the month-long siege.
Macatoman explained that while the fighting is confined within less than 10 percent of the city, a big question mark still hangs over the local economy because many businesses remain closed.
“The Maranaw people are mostly traders, so what is happening now really hurts their livelihood,” he added.
At a business forum in Quezon City last week, Macatoman said the sheer extent of the damage to the city’s infrastructure will surely open many opportunities for the business sector once the reconstruction process gets underway.
He said the construction sector and connected enterprises are certain to experience a boom, as damaged roads, bridges as well as private and public buildings must be rebuilt.
“This will also be a godsend to the tens of thousands of Marawi’s now unemployed labor force,” he added.
Macatoman lamented that his own family’s three-storey ancestral home, which was located at the heart of the conflict zone, had been destroyed by the aerial bombardment. He said the same thing happened to the ancestral home of his wife, who is a scion of the influential Alonto clan.
“The terrorists chose to take cover inside the big concrete houses and buildings for protection. Most of the well-made structures could end up destroyed when this is over,” he said.
Meantime, BFBCI members are looking forward to playing a significant part of the expected reconstruction phase, and the business opportunities that it would certainly open, Macatoman revealed.
He explained that while it may sound highly unlikely right now, Marawi City and its environs can also be tapped as the next big tourist destination in Southern Philippines soon. “Lake Lanao can be cultivated as the Lake Tahoe of Southeast Asia,” he insisted.
BFBCI was formed earlier this year to facilitate the Muslim business community’s participation in the Duterte administration’s economic agenda for Mindanao. The group has come out in favor of federalism because it will supposedly pave the way for the economic empowerment of Muslim Filipinos.
Last month, the BFBCI immediately threw its support to President Duterte’s decision to impose martial law throughout Mindanao.