The bullet-ridden Mindanao Islamic Center (balcony photo), in a photo taken in 2017, stands amid ruined structures following the five-month war between government troops and Islamic State-linked terrorists in Marawi City. (File photo by JEOFFREY MAITEM / Inquirer Mindanao)
MANILA, Philippines — The Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) will kick off its distribution of checks for the first part batch of Marawi residents with death claims on Nov. 20, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said late on Tuesday evening during the Senate debates on the 2024 national budget bill.
“To date, MCB has evaluated around 303 structural claims amounting to P1.01 billion and 59 death claims amounting to P26 million,” Hontiveros, sponsor of the 2024 allocation for the MCB, said.
“Hopefully, by December this year, they shall begin awarding the structural claims after adjudication,” she said.
Hontiveros explained that the board was not able to disburse the award for death claims in October due to the Commission on Elections’ spending ban during the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
In his interpellation, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said he was wondering why some netizens were complaining and asking him about the compensation.
“That’s why. Maybe it wasn’t explained well to people because my Facebook page is full of complaints that until now there really haven’t been any awards distributed,“ Dela Rosa said, speaking partly in Filipino.
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P6 billion unprogrammed funds
Later in the hearing, Dela Rosa asked Hontiveros if the MCB could use its P6 billion unprogrammed allocation to pay qualified Marawi claimants.
In response, Hontiveros said the MCB was confident it could “fully utilize its funds for 2024.”
“This subcommittee provided P6 billion in unprogrammed funds in response to MCB’s request for a P7 billion total allotment to settle claims. We hope that before the year ends, the government will be able to release the amount. We can also seek the guidance of the Department of Budget and Management in looking for other sources of funds,” Hontiveros said.
According to Hontiveros, the unprogrammed funds may be requested for release, but she underscored that the idea is still being explored, subject to the president’s approval.
“If this is done, it will be a good first step towards the next half decade because, in fact, the board estimates that it needs an average of 10 billion a year, starting 2024, in order to safely say that they have the capacity to pay all claimants,” she said.