Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur | A Far Cry from Richness and Vibrancy
Marawi, a predominantly Muslim city, is the capital and commercial heart of Lanao Del Sur province. I visited the city alone this year, and the gravity of just seeing the ruins of a war-torn city for yourself weighed down on me heavily.
Marawi Siege by the Numbers
“Go ahead, be my guest. We will wait for you there. Walang problema. Bakit sunugin mo ang Marawi? Those are things that sabi ko, no. I am the government. Do not place conditions on my shoulder,” – President Duterte rebuffs Maute Group on the threat to burn Marawi if AFP attacks won’t stop December 2016
On May 23, 2017, a firefight broke out between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Islamic State-aligned militants in Marawi City. This city of 200,000 in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, was quickly taken over by the Maute and the Abu Sayyaf group. This led to the declaration of Martial Law on the whole island of Mindanao.
The siege lasted for 154 days: this felt like decades to the civilians who are either displaced in tent cities, as hostages or trapped in the crossfire. In turn, this horrendous crime laid widespread destruction to a once vibrant Islamic city.
In this war without winners, the besieged city’s 250 hectares worth of homes, buildings, and mosques were flattened, which costs around 11 billion pesos. Moreover, 24 of 96 barangays were destroyed, displacing 11,000 families in 1,100 transitional shelters.
Bodies were left to rot in the streets months after the battle. Furthermore, 1,131 people were killed, 919 of which are militants – some are even foreigners.
Ground Zero
Access to Marawi City has been restricted during and even after the siege. Only some media groups, local officials, and residents were allowed. Fast forward to 2022, public access has been allowed following the clearing of improvised explosives and debris.
On board a tricycle driven by a friend who resides in Marawi, we traversed a new bridge connecting the city to what is now known as Ground Zero. It was eerily quiet as we entered the war-torn area where all the atrocities took place.
This side of Marawi lies abandoned and now turned into a ghost town. It was leveled down to nothingness, my fear of visiting the place alone, was replaced by remorse that I couldn’t process all the information at the time.
To add, everything about my intentions made me sick, it made me feel guilty that I considered this as something to be visited and to be ticked off from my bucket list. I was even planning to have my photo taken waving the flag with the ruins as my backdrop.
Much of the road networks have been rehabilitated, and entry by the public is now allowed as the roads on this side of the city connect to the province of Bukidnon.
Mangled and rusted doors hanging on by just a screw still lay in quiet despair. What is even more gut-wrenching are the dilapidated walls that have been vandalized by the militants.
A Far Cry from Richness and Vibrancy
Five years after the liberation was declared, the destruction brought by this all-out war was still beyond my comprehension. Rehabilitation is still ongoing, but to see skeletons of decaying buildings of what the residents once used to call home is heartbreaking to see.
The once colorful Maranao Buntings are now replaced with walls riddled with hundreds of bullet holes. Also, spray-painted “X” and “AFP CLEARED” marks peppered building after building – a far cry from the richness and vibrancy of the Maranao culture.
Charred concrete posts and rubble still dominate the surroundings; metal trusses left to rot under the heat of the sun and the chilling rain are all that I have seen. They are the silent witnesses and victims of the 154 days of air strikes and artillery by the military.
Imagine running for your life after men clad in black suddenly made bullets rain in all directions. Thousands of people were in limbo in that area five years ago following a conflict that no one saw coming.
“Dito nakatayo yung bahay namin dati, pagbalik namin wala na, (yung bahay namin) patag na” (This is where our house once stood, when we returned, nothing remained, (our house) was leveled down.) pointed out by my friend on what seems to be a paved road beside a three-story structure.
After Marawi
The siege not only wiped out businesses in the city and surrounding areas but also crippled the local economy up until now.
Imagine the scars and trauma that run deep for the residents who have little or nothing and nowhere to return to as the city now resembles a pile of rubble.
During the three-hour visit around the city, I was quiet, I am at loss and could not imagine what the people of Marawi had to go through because of these militant groups’ false beliefs. The gravity of the situation weighed down on me.
To be truthful, I was excited to go and was looking forward to being in my 68th Philippine province. It felt like it was something that I had to do, something that would give me a first-hand perspective on what it feels like to be actually there.
I got a lot more than what I bargained for.
As a traveler, when something moves me, my first instinct is to compose a shot in my mind and point my camera at it. But I couldn’t even ask my friend to stop the vehicle so I could compose that money shot. At that point, I was just randomly snapping photos without the aim of bragging about it, but to shine a light on how it presently looks down there.
While the wounds of war will take time to heal, let us be sensitive and not consider this as another box to proudly tick off our bucket lists, but as a grim reminder of a dark chapter in the history of the Philippines.
Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur | A Far Cry from Richness and Vibrancy
Updated June 22, 2022
This is, indeed, one epic write-up I have ever read about Marawi post-siege. The photographs already speak for themselves, the narrative and adjectives coalesce into great storytelling. You did a great job on transporting my consciousness to the present Marawi City Ground Zero.
I was glad I was there before the war but the interval was just two days after my flight back to Manila. I saw myself in its past splendour and glory – the teeming businesscape, bustling streets, and glittery chapter.
Thanks for sharing such a story and will genuinely support the bucket list narrative.