House panel OKs bill to compensate Marawi residents affected during 2017 siege

Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman

MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on disaster resilience approved Thursday a measure that aims to provide monetary compensation to residents affected during the 2017 Marawi City siege.

The panel passed the still unnumbered measure, which consolidated three bills: House Bill Nos. 3418, 3543,  and 3922.

Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman said the committee has not yet zeroed in on the total amount of compensation to residents as the bill is still open for amendments when it reaches the plenary.

“Wala pang specific amount muna nilagay sa report. Pero open naman pa sa amendments sa plenary,” the lawmaker said in a text message.

(There is no specific amount yet but it is still open for amendments in the plenary.)

House Bill 3418 calls for the allocation of P50 billion pesos for the compensation of claimants for five years. Under the bill, P10 billion will be sourced from the national budget while the remaining P40 billion will be taken from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Philippine Gaming Corp.

Meanwhile, House Bill Nos. 3543 and 3922 propose a P30-billion allocation that will be sourced from the national budget and divided equally for three years.

The proposed measures further seek to create the Marawi Compensation Board, which will identify and monitor legitimate claimants for compensation.

KGA