Mindanao solon says Marawi compensation law will help siege victims to recover

TRANSFORMATION The Grand Mosque, icon of Islamic faith in Marawi City, underwent major reconstruction after it was heavily damaged during combat operations to flush out militants who laid siege to the city. —FILE PHOTOS BY RICHEL V. UMEL AND DIVINA M. SUSON

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker from Mindanao lauded the second reading approval in the Senate of the proposed bill which seeks to provide monetary compensation for the victims of the 2017 Marawi siege.

House Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman said that the measure will help in the recovery of the siege victims.

“Magli-limang taon na simula noong mangyari ang Marawi Siege noong 2017, at hanggang ngayon ay marami pa rin sa ating mga kababayan doon ang hindi pa nakakauwi sa kanilang mga tahanan, hindi pa maitayo uli ang kanilang mga negosyo, at hindi pa makabangon mula sa bangungot ng digmaan,” Hataman said in a statement.

(We are approaching the fifth year since the Marawi siege happened in 2017 and until now, many of our countrymen there are still unable to return to their homes, establish their businesses, and recover from the nightmare left by the siege.)

“Alam nating hindi mababayaran ang mga sugat at pilat ng karahasang iniwan ng Marawi Siege, pero hangad natin ang agarang pagbangon ng ating mga kapatid na taga-Marawi, at malaking tulong itong Marawi Compensation Bill sa pagsasagawa nito,” he added.

(We know that we cannot compensate for the scars left by the Marawi siege, but we are hoping for the recovery of our brothers and sisters in Marawi, and the Marawi compensation bill will be of huge help in achieving this.)

On Tuesday, the Senate approved on second reading Senate Bill No. 2420 or the Marawi Siege Compensation Act.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the principal author of the measure, said that the measure will help “give social justice to the victims of the Marawi siege.”

“The fact of the matter is when you go to Marawi and Lanao del Sur, many of our kababayans there are still without homes, and still have no means of renovating or rebuilding their homes that were destroyed in the siege,” Zubiri said.

The Marawi Siege Compensation Act creates a Marawi Compensation Board to facilitate the tax-free payment of reparations to persons displaced by the Marawi Siege.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, approved its own version of the measure in September last year.

EDV