Amidst their war-fighting duties on the side of the PA, we could see the effort that the Engineer Brigades, particularly the 54th Engineer Brigade, under the leadership of BGen Arnold Fernandez, exerted in making their ideas of rehabilitation a reality.
Pursuant to Administrative Order 03 issued by the Office of the President, which intends to create an Interagency Task Force for the recovery, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of Marawi and other affected localities, we deployed engineer construction battalions (ECB) to take part in the immediate repair and rehabilitation of public schools, national roads, bridges, and government buildings. We also utilized the ECB in humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations by restoring basic services and utilities such as water and electricity. In terms of securing the most affected area (MAA), we have seen the relentless effort of the engineering brigades in conducting breaching operations to clear IEDs and other obstacles that threaten the advancing forces.
(This entry is part of Chapter 4: Envisioning the Future of Marawi City.)