PHOTO ESSAY
The long road home
It has been more than two years since the liberation of Marawi City from armed conflict, but many displaced Maranaos still find themselves situated in temporary shelters. The recent Mindanao calamities and the prolonged rehabilitation process leave Marawi’s former residents to wonder when they will be able to truly start anew.
by Jason Mariano and Aldo Santiago
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It has been two long years since the Philippine government
declared the liberation of Marawi
City,
but the Maranao
people still suffer from the aftermath of the conflict to this
day. Promises
are
yet to come to fruition despite billions of
pesos worth of aid that have poured in from within
and
beyond the country since 2017. Residents are left to wonder
when they will be able to
rebuild
the place they once called
home. More than the scars and wounds they endure to this
day, the
Maranao take pride in their narratives of strength.
The GUIDON explores these are stories of
faith,
family,
leadership, and hope—the core foundations of the
community—that persist as life
mends,
and more
importantly, moves forward.
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The Marawi City welcome arch marks the entrance to the
only Islamic city in the Philippines.
Marawi
stands as the
capital of Lanao del Sur province in the Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region of the
Philippines. The city was once
considered to be one of the most highly urbanized areas in
the
Mindanao region.
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Jasliah Abbas has stood as the guiding leader for the
Sarimanok refugees. She has served as an
emotional bedrock
for many of the Maranaos residing in the community. As
camp leader, Abbas
helps facilitate most of the community
functions and oncoming relief operations.
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Amidst a typical classroom setting, a portrait photo of President
Rodrigo Duterte is positioned
high
above the walls of the
makeshift classrooms overlooking the entire class.
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IDPs have been forced to adapt to the inadequate living
conditions brought upon by the crisis.
For
instance,
residents have endured leaking roofs during heavy
rains; the tents would often
shake
from the elements
leaving the people struggling to catch a good night’s
sleep.
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Hundreds of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) live in
refugee sites such as the Sarimanok Tent
City
site 2. This
camp has served as their home for the past two years
following the Marawi
siege.
Many of the residents
expressed their concerns regarding their substandard
living
conditions,
which includes irregular water supply,
low-quality tents, and inconsistent relief goods. As
of
writing, The GUIDON has received information that the
residents of the site have been relocated
to
concrete
shelters in a nearby area.
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A family of IDPs shares their frustrations about the
national government's prolonged three-year
imposition
of Martial Law in Mindanao. The group also shared their
grievances with elected leaders who gave them false
hopes for a quick rehabilitation and
resettlement
process.
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As part of the three-day long festivities for Eid al-Adha,
residents line up for food packages
from
the Islamic Relief
Philippines, a non-government organization dedicated to
aiding
underserved
communities as guided by their
Muslim faith and values. Most families, if not all, continue
to
rely on constant aid from non-government
organizations (NGOs) to get by with their
day-to-day
needs
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Recipients of the relief packages verify their personal
information for identification purposes
as
their receive
relief goods from an NGO.
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A Maranao woman receives a relief package from
the Islamic Relief Philippines. NGOs consistently
visit the
relocation sites to independently give assistance and
compensate for the
insufficient
supply given to the
residents.
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As the NGO relief operation continue, albeit rather
intermittently, the Sarimanok Tent City Site 2
families
patiently wait as people from Action Against
Hunger fill up their water containers
after
days of not
having water in their area.
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Families prepare meals in celebration of Eid al-Adha despite
the seeming stagnation of the
rehabilitation process. The
celebration exhibited the lighter side of the locals’ lives,
which
contrasts the increasingly negative and arms-centric
narratives about the residents of Marawi.
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Amidst the Eid al-Adha celebrations, Sarimanok tent city
refugee Rosanna Jayme shares her
experiences
as a
Christian on how she was able to escape the war zone and a
sense of belonging in a
predominantly Islamic refugee area.
Despite not having the same beliefs, her Muslim
neighbors
still welcome her with open arms and invite to participate in
their religous festivities. Some
even
giving her family food to
cook during the holiday.
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In another tent, a Maranao refugee recounts how
fortunate she was to have escaped just before
the
attackers came to her area. She is grateful to Allah
because her children survived the ordeal
and
are still
safe in her arms today.
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She also talks about the time she was finally allowed to
visit the remains of her home inside the
Most Affected
Area (MAA) after months of being restricted from the
zone. Many locals
continue to
find
themselves longing
to return to their properties and start anew.
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Many of the structures in Ground Zero have been overrun by
plant growth due to prolonged
abandonment.
Contractors
have been prohibited from demolishing properties without
the consent of the
original
owners.
The Maranaos have
complained about the slow progress of the government’s
rehabilitation
program
and the
lack of clear, thoughtful
coordination with the locals.
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Much of the area surrounding Lake Lanao in Ground Zero
has been brought down by the ongoing
demolitions
initiated by Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) as part of
the so-called
rehabilitation
program and rebuilding
efforts for the besieged Marawi City.
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A number of military soldiers have guarded the city
center since the start of the siege in 2017.
Some
wish to
finally return to their families after more than two years
of service.
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Workers continue to survey the area to assess any
hazards that may disrupt the demolition
operations
in
the MAA.
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At the height of the armed conflict, the Maranaos were
forced to hastily flee the area for
safety,
thereby leaving
behind many of their personal belongings such as
everyday supplies, family
heirlooms, and private
documents needed for their identification.
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Open walls and damaged properties are a common sight in the MAA. The prolonged stagnation and degradation of the former residents’ homes are apparent in the scenes of devastation.
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Many IDPs criticize the prolonged demolition operations
as a result of their desire to return to
their
ancestral
homes. Some families are willing to handle the costs of
rebuilding their houses in
order
to
fast track the
rehabilitation of their property.
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A peek from the windows of a fallen building overlook
the scenic view of Lake Lanao and demolition
operations
on the bay area.
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Along Amai Pakpak avenue, the road on the outskirts of
Marawi City, a tarpaulin reads “Biyaya ng
Pagbabago.” This is
one of many signages around the area that share details of
the
rehabilitation program that is supposedly enacted by
government agencies in an effort to raise
morale and
confidence among those who have been displaced.
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Residents from Sarimanok Tent City Site 2 work together
to build makeshift structures around the
camp.
According to the residents, relief aid has been
inconsistent and they are left to work
with what’s
available to them in order to survive.
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Similar to many of the Maranao youth, Rose dreams of
being a math teacher one day to give back to
the
community by teaching them how to establish
businesses of their own. She is inspired by her
mother
Rosanna who owns a sari-sari store.
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Marawi Sarimanok Elementary Pilot School principal for
grade levels 4-6 Linda Adiong Selic shared her
concerns
regarding the lack of consistent aid for sufficient school
facilities and materials.
“The
initial objective of
the DepEd [Department of Education] program is to educate
all people,
especially
[those] who are illiterate people. It
means to say to eradicate illiteracy,” said the principal.
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The temporary schools setup by local teachers persist to
reestablish the education system of Marawi
years
after
the siege.
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Community leaders created a teaching system
combining teachers from different schools who taught
in
the
MAA to provide education in temporary classrooms
in resettlement areas. Students are grouped
according
to
their age and previously attained grade level.
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Makeshift classroom in different resettlement areas
provide children an avenue to express their
creativity
and cultivate their learning with the help of the DepEd
and volunteer teachers across
Marawi
City.
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In spite of substandard facilities and materials, the teachers
continue to push for a conducive
learning
environment in
their day-to-day discussions. The teachers stand firm in their
belief that a
solid
educational foundation for these young
students will be vital in the long process of healing for
the
city.
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A student from the Marawi Sarimanok Elementary Pilot
School prepares to go back to his family’s tent
after a
school day. He is among the latest batch of students who
have waited years to resume education.
After the armed conflict that displaced thousands of residents, the community’s
foundations of faith,
family, and culture were put to the test amidst the devastation
at the heart of Marawi City. Despite
enduring unimaginable experiences of war,
insufficient relief efforts, and a lengthy rehabilitation
process,
the IDPs persist in
their hope for the day they can finally return to their own homes in peace.
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