REHAB EFFORTS. The Pamayandeg Sa Ranao housing for residents displaced by the Marawi City 2017 siege is near full completion at Dansalan Phase 1 and 2 in Barangay Kilala in this undated photo. The construction is a collaboration between the National Housing Authority and United Nations Habitat settlement program. (Photo courtesy of TFBM)
MANILA – The Senate’s approval of the Marawi Compensation Bill is a huge boost to the recovery efforts of the Lanao del Sur city devastated by the 2017 siege
Senate Bill 2420, or the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act, aims to provide compensation for the loss or destruction of private properties brought about by the five-month battle between government forces and Daesh-inspired terrorists.
Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) Chair and Housing Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario lauded the measure in a statement issued Monday night following the Senate's 23-0 vote.
“The Task Force Bangon Marawi welcomes the Senate's approval of the Marawi Compensation Bill as a huge boost to the morale of our Maranaw brothers and sisters who were affected by the infamous 2017 siege. They have long been clamoring for this legislation and hopefully it will soon be enacted into law,” Del Rosario said.
"The vote indicates that our lawmakers are one with us in our commitment to build back better a peaceful, and progressive Marawi City," he added.
Once enacted into law, it will ensure the totality of the government-led rehabilitation of Marawi City with the reconstruction of public infrastructures, which is now in the final stages.
“Private individuals will not only rebuild their properties but also their lives,” Del Rosario said.
The House of Representatives approved its version in September last year.
The civic group Marawi Reconstruction Conflict Watch (MRCW) also asked Congress to consolidate the two versions of the proposed compensation law.
"We ask both Houses of Congress to work hard towards consolidating the two versions for its final passage and signing by the President before they go into recess for the election season," read a group statement shared on Monday night.
Congress will adjourn on February 5 to May 22.
The statement also thanked legislators, “our champions from the local government of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City, the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) Parliament, and peers from civil society for stepping up to uphold the rights of the Maranao IDPs (internally displaced persons) and recognize their suffering".
"We are one step closer to enacting the law that will help Marawi IDPs rebuild their lives,” stated MRCW, an independent multi-stakeholder dialogue group that harnesses skills and professions to help in the Marawi reconstruction process,
The TFBM, along with its 56 implementing agencies, has been focused on rehabilitating public infrastructures like school buildings, road networks, bridges, mosques, public parks, sports and convention complexes, and public market since construction went full blast in July 2020.
Also on Monday, Del Rosario briefed the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) on the updates of the ongoing rehabilitation via video conference.
MinDA Chair Mabel Acosta inquired on how her agency and the TFBM can collaborate to further assist Marawi City rise better while citing the “remarkable accomplishment” in the rehabilitation efforts.
Del Rosario reiterated the need for sustained livelihood assistance and a peaceful environment beyond the rehabilitation works. (PR/With a report from Lade Kabagani)
