Marawi compensation bill gets final Senate nod
Houses, buildings and mosques in Marawi City are destroyed by the fighting between government troops and members of the Maute group that laid siege to the Lanao del Sur capital. (File photo by JEOFFREY MAITEM / Inquirer Mindanao)
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate passed on third and final reading a bill seeking to provide compensation for the loss or destruction of properties due to the Marawi siege in 2017.
With 23 affirmative votes, no negative votes, and no abstentions, the chamber approved Senate Bill No. 2420 or the proposed Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act.
If enacted into law, the bill will create a Marawi Compensation Board to facilitate the tax-free payment of reparations to individuals displaced by the Marawi siege.
The House of Representatives approved its version of the measure in September last year.
The compensation covers “qualified claimants” who lost their residential and commercial properties due to the conflict between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and terrorist groups back in 2017 in Marawi City.
The measure also grants private property owners a “replacement cost” for loss or destruction of property, which shall be based on the current market value of the improvements and structure.
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