MANILA, Philippines — Marawi City suffered massive devastation during more than four months of battle between government troops and Maute terrorists.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that 50-billion pesos is not enough to restore and rehabilitate the properties and other structures damaged by the war.

“When we went there last week with the President, early this week, I think P50 billion is not enough. There is much destruction. When the fighting stops and we’ll bring you there, you will see how damaged the area is,” said the secretary.

Meanwhile, six countries have promised to extend financial assistance for the rehabilitation of Marawi City.

These include Australia, United States, Japan, Thailand, China and the European Union.

For now, the post-conflict assessment group has been gathering information on the extent of the damage in areas already cleared by the military in Marawi City.

Secretary Lorenzana said it may take two weeks to assess the total amount of damage in properties and livelihood in the city.

However, the official refused to give a deadline for the Marawi crisis to end but he is positive that the government will be able to finally liberate the city from the terrorists.

“Only a few areas are controlled by the terrorists. This is just one and a half barangay-wide. The area is just one and a half barangay. That’s why I’ve been told by our ground commanders that we are nearing conclusion. He just cannot say when, because they’re afraid to set a deadline,” said Lorenzana. — Rosalie Coz | UNTV News and Rescue