AFTER six long years, the Philippine government has finally recognized the deaths of 22 civilians killed during the 2017 attack by Daesh-inspired Maute gunmen here that left most of this city destroyed in the ensuing five months of urban fighting.
Marawi Compensation Board Chairperson Maisara Dandamun-Latip handed P350,000 checks to the family members of the 22 civilians during a ceremony in the Mindanao State University Cultural Heritage Center in Marawi City on Monday.
Latip said the family members who filed their claims were able to satisfy the scrutiny of the board that they had lost a family member during the five months of intense fighting to retake Marawi City from the insurgents.
She said they are processing 37 more claims that would be awarded next month after the Department of Budget is notified.
“These are the people who filed their claims early. We are processing the claims for eight more families who lost a family member or relatives,” Latip said.
Latip said a total of 118 residents have applied for death claims as of November 2023.
The Marawi Compensation Board 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 in the Mindanao State University Cultural Heritage Center to receive the P350,000 checks 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.
Amarga lost her husband, Edwin Dadang Amarga, and son, Joey, after the militants went on a rampage killing or taking hostages in the weeks that followed after they seized Marawi City.
She 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,” Amarga 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 was caught 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 that was left behind by the bombings.
Latip 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.
Latip said they are also processing more than 300 claims from residents who lost their homes during the siege adding that there are already 1,000 residents who filed their claims since July this year.
She said the 300 claimants are estimated to amount to P1 billion, the money provided by the national government under the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act of 2022.
Latip said the P1 billion would not be enough to cover the claims and Congress has agreed to allot another P6 billion in the 2024 National Expenditure Program.
“That P1 billion is not enough and the funding should be increased,” Rep. Zia Along Adion (1st district, Lanao del Sur) said.
Adiong said he submitted an amendment increasing the compensation budget to P10 billion.
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