Marawi City (CNN Philippines, October 16) — A day before the commemoration of the liberation of Marawi City, protesters took to the streets demanding they be allowed to go home.

On Monday, protesters aimed to march to ground zero, however, they were barred from getting a glimpse of what was left of the war-torn city.

Displaced residents said their only wish was to go back home.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the city's rehabilitation was originally scheduled on October 17, but was moved to October 28 after President Rodrigo Duterte said he would not be available to attend the event.

A year after Marawi City was liberated from the ISIS-inspired Maute terrorist group, residents have yet to move back to where their homes once stood.

Drieza Laninding, chairperson of the Moro Consensus Group earlier said, "Kung gaano kabilis ang pagdecide nila na bombahin yung mga bahay, religious institutions, madrasah, mga mosque, lahat-lahat ng nandiyan sa Marawi, e hindi naman ganon kabilis ang pag-aksyon nila sa rehabilitasyon."

[Translation: The speed at which they decided to bomb homes, religious institutions, madrasahs, mosques, everything in Marawi, was not the same speed as the rehabilitation.]

Laninding also said, "Makakauwi kami o hindi? May pondo o wala? Gusto niyo ba na tulungan namin kayo o hindi? So yun lang po. Napakasimple. Magtulungan tayo. Gusto namin tulungan ang gobyerno na hindi na kailangang mangutang. Itatayo namin ang aming mga bahay."

[Translation: Will we be able go home or not? Are there funds? Do you want us to help you or not? That's it. It's very simple. Let's help each other. We want to help the government without needing to borrow money. We will build our houses.]

Task Force Bangon Marawi said the ₱75-million debris clearing project was awarded to FINMAT International, a local company that partnered with Power China, a state-owned construction company of People's Republic of China.

The project will commence in a six-hectare pilot site.

But despite changes in schedule, authorities are confident, they will be able to finish Marawi's rehabilitation by the end of 2021.

Meanwhile, United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim announced Tuesday that an additional P1.35 billion in aid would be given to displaced Marawi residents.

He said the new program, called Marawi Response Project, will be a three-year U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) program aimed at improving economic and social conditions of communities affected by the war in Marawi.