DBM backs Marawi rehab new presidential office

The newly created Office of the Presidential Adviser for Marawi Rehabilitation and Development (OPAMRD) will receive full support from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman assured on Friday.

Pangandaman expressed a “sense of hope and excitement” over President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s decision to establish an office dedicated to the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City.

“As a daughter of Mindanao and a Maranao, the plight of Marawi has always been close to my heart. I have seen the damage in Marawi and I can feel the resentment of our countrymen there,” she said.

Pangandaman added, “there has never been a unifying effort like this — one that aligns resources and avoids duplication.”

She said the creation of OPAMRD “is the most effective way for a more inclusive and cohesive recovery of Marawi.”

Under Executive Order 78, OPAMRD is tasked to advise the President on all matters regarding the formulation and implementation of government policies, plans, and programs for the rehabilitation, development, and restoration of peace in Marawi City and other affected localities.

OPAMRD is mandated to oversee, monitor, coordinate, and harmonize strategies, programs, activities, and projects of agencies involved in the recovery efforts in Marawi.

Meanwhile, Pangandaman said the DBM will work harder to ensure effective allocation of resources for projects aimed at restoring “the dignity and vibrancy of the Maranao people.”