Local officials to present Zamboanga rehab plan

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The city government will present on Friday to President Benigno Aquino III the proposed P3.9 billion rehabilitation plan to reconstruct the city damaged by the recent siege between government troops and the Moro National Liberation Front.

The roadmap for the rehabilitation plan was finalized and initially presented Wednesday by the University of the Philippines Planning and Development Research Foundation, Inc. (UP PLANADES) and the Zamboanga Rehabilitation team.

The Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Reconstruction (Z3R) inception report was shown to Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson and Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, who took charge in the relief assistance of the displaced civilians and representatives from the National Housing Authority was also present during a meeting at the central office of the DPWH in Manila.

The UP PLANADES team headed by Dr. Primitivo Cal has been commissioned by the national government to prepare the rehabilitation plan for the barangays that include Rio Hondo, Mariki, Sta. Barbara and Sta. Catalina, among others.

“The rehab plan incorporates the principle of 'Build Back Better Zamboanga' which means better road networks and navigational lanes in the affected areas and disaster and climate change-resilient infrastructures and public facilities particularly against flooding and high tide,” Salazar said.

Authorities described the devastated areas as vulnerable to security with different criminals engaged in drug trade and smuggling. 

Salazar said the submission of the proposal to the president would dismiss speculation that the rehabilitation efforts in this city would be overtaken by the national government’s focus on Visayas which was damaged by typhoon Yolanda and a 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

The local government solely depends on the national government for the funding requirement for the implementation of the Z3R. 

Thousands of displaced civilians remain in different evacuation centers and bunk houses established by the government and have been dependent on the relief aid or work for relief programs by various international organizations.

The city government’s donor’s forum collected P20 million from various international and local donors to support the rehabilitation phase.