No eviction for Marawi siege victims – mayor

Marawi City Mayor Majul Usman Gandamra SOURCE: Philippine Information Agency

ILIGAN CITY—Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra has allayed fears among families displaced during the 2017 siege now staying in transitory shelters that they will soon be evicted from their temporary homes.

Gandamra told the Inquirer that the five-year usufruct agreement covering the transitory shelter site in Barangay Rorogagus would expire this month but that the city government had already negotiated with several owners involved to extend the period for the free use of their lands by the so-called internally displaced persons (IDPs), or those displaced by the five-month siege six years ago.

Based on the discussions, the extension is from six to 12 months, Gandamra said.

He said the landowners appeared open to their appeal, hence buying for the IDPs and the government time to look for another area.

Already, one landowner had agreed to allow at least 30 IDP families to remain, Gandamra said.

A final dialogue with the other landowners will be held on Monday, to include leaders of the displaced families as well as officials of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.

Appeal

The mayor noted that the local government did the same appeal to landowners on behalf of those staying in transitory shelters in Barangay Sagonsongan, one of the earliest evacuation areas to be set up.

On Sunday, the IDPs, especially from the Rorogagus site, marched around the city to call attention to the possibility they would be evicted from their temporary homes as the usufruct agreement expires on Oct. 15.

Jaslia Abbas, one of the IDP leaders, said some 230 families in the Rorogagus site were facing displacement from the transitory shelters.

Abbas called on the Bangsamoro regional government to help them find a solution to their problem.

According to the Mindanao Displacement Dashboard of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, there are still an estimated 16,000 displaced families due to the Marawi siege, as of June this year.

These families are either waiting for the chance to relocate to permanent shelters or rebuild their houses from the rubble of the 2017 siege when financial capacity permits.

“One of the best and sustainable solution is building their own shelter,” Gandamra said.

Awaiting compensation

Many families are awaiting compensation from government so they can rebuild their houses. The start of payments are expected before the year ends after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had released the funds intended for compensation for this year.

The Marawi Compensation Board has processed, so far, 59 death claims amounting to around P20 million, at P350,000 for each death. Some 300 structure claims are awaiting adjudication, in all amounting to some P1.1 billion.

Not enough

For next year, the DBM has proposed only P1.1 billion in compensation funds although both Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto-Adiong had asked that this be increased to P5 billion as Congress finalizes the 2024 budget.

“Based on the projected total number of claimants until December 2023, which is more than 23,000, P1 billion for 2024 is far from enough,” said McMillan Lucman of the Marawi Reconstruction Conflict Watch (MRCW).

Jalilah Sapiin, another MRCW member, noted that only 4,000 of the estimated 20,000 potential claimants had applied for compensation.