MANILA, Philippines – Two Mindanao lawmakers have filed a bill that would compensate residents affected by the months-long war in Marawi City.

In a statement on Tuesday, August 13, Basilan Representative Mujiv Hataman said he and Anak Mindanao Representative Amihilda Sangcopan have filed House Bill (HB) No. 3543 or the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act.

Under the measure, Marawi residents who lost real estate properties because of the war would get monetary compensation. They would receive P1,500 per square meter of a damaged place of residence, and P2,000 per square meter of a destroyed structure used for commercial purposes. But only the lawful owners of these properties would get compensated. 

HB 3543 would also create the Marawi Compensation Board, which would receive a budget worth P30 billion to fulfil its mandate to compensate the Marawi siege victims. President Rodrigo Duterte would be tasked to appoint 9 members to the board, which should include representatives from civil society groups as well as Ulama or Muslim scholars.

The board would also receive assistance from the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the National Housing Authority, which are among the government agencies helping rehabilitate Marawi. 

“If this urgent piece of legislation passes into law, it will address the grievances of our fellow Meranaw who have survived the Marawi siege and, yet, continue to suffer due to a continuous cycle of injustice,” said Hataman, who was the former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which has been replaced the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“As the bill goes through the legislative process, we need every ounce of support from our Meranaw brothers and sisters whose strength sustains their calls for justice. We also seek support from the rest of the Filipino people, whose solidarity is necessary for this bill to pass as a national expression of the government’s commitment to its people,” he added.

Thousands of Marawi residents have been displaced by the months-long war that erupted on May 23, 2017 between government troops and the homegrown terrorists from the Maute Group and a faction of the Abu Sayyaf group in Marawi.  

Two years since the war ended, at least 50,000 people remain displaced. (READ: Frustrated Marawi evacuees still can’t go home 2 years after siege) 

The city remains in shambles, as the government began rehabilitating the main battle area only in October 2018.

Read the fully copy of HB 3543 below:

– Rappler.com