By Charissa Luci-Atienza

The chairman of the House Subcommittee on Marawi Rehabilitation called on the business and livelihood cluster of Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) to “unify its efforts” in providing assistance to the victims of the Marawi siege.

Anak Mindanao partylist Rep. Makmod Mending Jr., chairman of the subpanel, lamented the lack of unified and concerted effort among the agencies tapped to extend livelihood aid to the siege victims.

The livelihood cluster of the TFBM is headed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“There is no unified effort among the agencies in the implementation [of the programs]. Each agency has their own process of selecting beneficiaries, some agencies have the same livelihood program like distribution of sewing kits,” Mending said in an interview.

“Our recommendation is for the livelihood cluster to unify efforts so as to avoid duplication of programs and to spread the benefits to as many as possible,” he pointed out.

The House subpanel reconvened on Wednesday its hearing on status of the Marawi rehabilitation and reconstruction, zeroing on the livelihood assistance provided for by the government to the identified internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Mending called on the DTI to “give life” to the Administrative Order No. 3, s. 2017, on the Rehabilitation of Marawi, and gather the members of the business and livelihood cluster.

“Call a meeting and gather your members so that like spider, we weave our work, our efforts as one so that we only have one direction.

And we can give life to the administrative order of the President, “he said.

During the hearing, DTI Representative Ayatullah Mastura reported that the DTI, in coordination with the TFBM, has conducted profiling in Marawi City to determine the preferred livelihood of its constituents.

He said the agency has prepared sari-sari store kits, sewing machines, bigasan sets, restaurant kits, and bakery kits, among others.

The DTI official noted that a total of P872.7 million has been allocated for the Bangon Marawi Initiative, which was acquired from the

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund.

It was also disclosed during the hearing that the DTI has also implemented the Shared Service Facility Program with a P50 million funding that provides the IDPs with machinery, equipment, tools, systems, skills and knowledge under a shared system.

During the hearing, the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) said it has begun its project trainings and livelihood support program.

CDA Chairman Orlando Ravenera said they have identified the coop beneficiaries in Marawi City as well as their needs based on the agency’s assessment in 2018.

He noted that the major necessities of the beneficiaries include motorcycles, sewing machines, farming tools, and trading materials.

“We are following a holistic approach, but the overall plan is to advance peace in Mindanao through cooperativism,” he said.

During the hearing, the Department of Agriculture also presented its approved P279.6 million Program, Activity, Project (PAP) in 2018 for Marawi City.

DA Assistant Secretary Andrew Villacorta said the approved PAPs include the following items: provision of seeds and planting materials, dispersal of livestock, farm and garden tool set, fishing gears and paraphernalia, fishery development and fish culture, soil fertility mapping, and infrastructure, farm equipment and machineries, among others.

During the hearing, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) assured the panel that they will not abandon the construction of training centers, even as the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) the agency proposed for had a significant cut from its initial amount of P903 million to the current P188 million.

Regional Director Tarhata Mapandi clarified that majority of the original fund was for the construction of training centers. However, the agency was not able to secure the certificates of land availability.

She said they shall prioritize their construction-related trainings to be of assistance in President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” Program.