MARAWI CITY (MindaNews / 21 November)—After six long years, the Philippine government has finally recognized and given compensation for the deaths of 22 civilians killed during the 2017 attack by Daesh-inspired Maute gunmen here that left most of the city destroyed in the ensuing five months of urban fighting.
Lawyer Maisara Dandamun-Latiph, chair of the Marawi Compensation Board (MCB), said they are processing 37 more claims that would be awarded next month after the Department of Budget will be notified.
She said a total of 118 residents have applied for death claims as of November 2023.
Latiph handed P350,000 checks for each of the families of the 22 civilians during a ceremony at the Mindanao State University Cultural Heritage Center here on Monday.
She said the family members who filed their claims were able to satisfy the scrutiny of the MCB that they have lost a loved one during the intense five-months of fighting to retake Marawi City from the insurgents.
“These are the people who filed their claims early,” Latiph said.
The MCB said there were at least 1,000 civilians who were trapped in the city and could have been caught in the crossfire between the soldiers and militants.
Climbing up the stage to receive the P350,000 check was emotional for the family members, many of whom were in tears.
“I would have preferred that my husband and son were alive. The money I would receive is not enough for their lives,” Iligan City resident Jovita Amarga said.
She lost her husband Edwin and son Joey after the militants went on a rampage, killing or taking hostages in the weeks that followed after they seized Marawi City.
Amarga said her husband and son were working as construction workers when they were taken by the gunmen.
“I was told they were hogtied and placed inside a van. The military found their bodies along with 18 other workers inside the van later,” she said.
Amarga said the military told her later that her husband and son were part of a prisoner exchange between the Army and Maute gunmen, a plan that went awry.
The father of Ashima Basher, meanwhile, was caught in the crossfire when Philippine Air Force warplanes bombed Marawi City to flush out the militants.
Basher said their relatives found the body of her father, Basher Aloon, in the heap of rubble after the bombings.
Latiph said the board has accepted the death claims even if there were no official death certificates presented by the family members.
“We also welcomed testimonies from witnesses and military accounts,” she said.
In its presentation before Congress, the MCB said that from July 4 to September 18, it received a total of 6,048 claims: 65 for death, 74 for structural, 1,858 for other property and 4,041 for multiple claims. The total amount of claims is P9.15 billion, P9.1 billion of that for structural and P45.3 million for death.
According to the MCB, it has evaluated 362 claims, amounting to P1,023,648,559 as of September.
Latiph said the P1 billion would not be enough to cover the claims and Congress have agreed to allot another P6 billion in the 2024 National Expenditure Program.
“That P1 billion is not enough and the funding should be increased,” said Rep. Zia Along Adiong (1st District, Lanao del Sur). He said he submitted an amendment increasing the compensation budget to P10 billion. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)
