Military base to rise in former Zamboanga siege zone

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The Zamboanga City government will put up a military base in the former conflict zone to ensure security in coastal villages devastated by Moro National Liberation Front's (MNLF) siege last year.

Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said cluster heads of the Zamboanga Rehabilitation Roadmap to Recovery (Z3R) on Monday raised the idea to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) chief Alexander Pama in a teleconference.

Salazar said the Z3R requested the release of P143.675 million for the acquisition, development and construction of military facilities in in Rio Hondo, a former conflict zone that was utilized by close to 500 MNLF rebels under the faction of Nur Misuari as their staging point during the Sept. 9 siege that crippled the city for almost a month.

Salazar said the requested fund is the remaining amount from the P3.5-billion pesos rehabilitation package approved by President Benigno Aquino III to rebuild the devastated district. 

The establishment of the military security camp was based on the post conflict needs assessment conducted by the Office of Civil Defense. 

Authorities recognized the sea coast and labyrinths of water channels in the mangrove areas in Barangay Rio Hondo have been vulnerable and used by various threat groups, including drug traffickers, smugglers and kidnappers, in staging their criminal activities in the city.

“We want to make sure that the internally displaced persons who will return to the area as well as the city will be safe and secured from any threats again,” Salazar said. 

Meanwhile, a model duplex-loftable house units is almost completed and would soon be occupied by members of those IDPs who were displaced during the conflict, according to city planning officer and rehabilitation cluster-in-charge Rodrigo Sicat.

The model is just part of the 1,458 duplex-loftable units that will be constructed with an amount of P332,956,356 million in the devastated areas of Sta. Catalina, Sta. Barbara and Rio Hondo.

“This project is already on the ground and is expected to be completed in two weeks’ time,” Sicat said.

Salazar said “the construction of the housing unit is a proof that the city rehabilitation efforts is steadily progressing, with the concept of build back better.”

Sicat said the Department of Public Works and Highways also approved the designs of the house on stilts where at least 4,666 units will be constructed in the coastal village of Mariki by the National Housing Authority.