CITY IN RUINS In this photo taken on Oct. 8, 2017, soldiers patrol a section of the city center of Marawi as government forces continue to battle members of Islamic State-linked groups that laid siege to the provincial capital of Lanao del Sur. —JEOFFREY MAITEM
ILIGAN CITY, Lanao del Norte, Philippines — The filing of compensation claims by families who lost kin as well as properties during the five-month battle in Marawi in 2017 between government troops and Islamic State-linked militants that laid siege to the city begins next month.
In a public notice on Tuesday, the Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) said it had set the filing period from July 4, 2023, to July 3, 2024, during which claims duly backed by competent evidence will be accepted for processing.
The MCB was created under Republic Act No. 11696, or the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Law, to oversee the process of application and payment of compensation to qualified claimants.
According to the MCB, appointments for filing can be done online or onsite.
It has put online a downloadable form (https://bit.ly/3Jk0FZs) that needs to be filled out to file a claim.
Based on the implementing rules of the compensation law formulated by the MCB, destroyed properties are to be paid P18,000 per square meter if structures were made of concrete, P13,500 per sqm if mixed concrete and wood, and P9,000 if made of light materials or mainly wood.
A damaged structure will be compensated P12,000 per sqm if it is concrete, P9,000 if mixed concrete and wood, and P6,000 if made of light materials.
Heirs of those who died due to the siege will be compensated P350,000.
Areas covered
The lost properties subject to compensation claims are those located in the villages of Lumbac Madaya, South Madaya, Raya Madaya 1, Raya Madaya 2, Sabala Amanao, Sabala Amanao Proper, Tolali, Daguduban, Norhaya Village, Banggolo Poblacion, Bubong Madaya, Lilod Madaya, Dansalan, Datu Sa Dansalan, and Sangkay Dansalan. Also included are those in Moncado Colony, Moncado Kadilingan, Marinaut West, Marinaut East, Kapantaran, Wawalayan Marinaut, Lumbac Marinaut, Tuca Marinaut, Datu Naga, Saduc Proper, Panggao Saduc, Raya Saduc, Lilod Saduc, Datu Saber, Bangon, Fort and Wawalayan Caloocan.
Apart from those destroyed by the war, properties affected by the rehabilitation effort as well as the search for unexploded ordnance will also be compensated.
The drafting of the implementing rules and regulations of RA 11696 underwent consultations with the Department of Finance, the Department of Budget and Management, the National Economic and Development Authority, the Task Force Bangon Marawi and the Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission. Two public consultations were also held to solicit the views of evacuees, called internally displaced persons, and other victims of the siege.
In May, during the commemoration of the sixth year of the siege, the government unveiled more public infrastructure projects in Marawi as part of the city’s rehabilitation. Among the important structures opened were the rebuilt Bato-Ali mosque and new school buildings.
Budget allocation
This year, the national budget contains an allocation of P1 billion to implement the compensation law. The MCB had projected that for 2024, it would need an additional P7 billion to cover the claims for compensation.
The body is expected to wrap up its task within five years.
The compensation for lost properties is seen to drive the rebuilding of homes in villages affected by the battle that erupted in sections of the city center.
On Tuesday, the MCB held a forum with partners among civil society organizations to update them of the compensation effort.
The MCB’s announcement of the start of filing for claims comes after its personnel underwent training on strategic communications by International Alert that prepared them in handling public information challenges throughout the compensation period.