Rebuilding the houses of the 2017 Marawi siege victims will help boost the morale of displaced residents, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) stressed as it lauded the House of Representatives for its “speedy adoption” of the Senate Bill (SB) No. 2420 on Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act.
CHR Spokesperson and lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia said in a statement that adopting SB 2420 will help ensure the immediate transmittal of the legislative measure to Malacañang for the Chief Executive’s signature.
"The bill, if enacted into law, will solve the problem of rebuilding houses of those affected by the siege through the creation of Marawi Compensation Board," De Guia said.
"The body will facilitate the tax-free payment of reparations to qualified claimants who lost their residential and commercial properties due to the siege."
Around 80 percent of public infrastructures in the city have been reconstructed as of December 2021, according to Task Force Bangon Marawi.
However, the CHR said that the funds released were only for government infrastructures and not for the reconstruction of houses and buildings of residents affected by the siege. Because of this, many areas in Marawi remain uninhabitable to this day, it said.
De Guia said the CHR has expressed hope that President Duterte will swiftly sign the bill into law in order to help private individuals and families rebuild their lives and properties.
"Their plight deserves urgent action by the government in recognition of their exacerbated vulnerability and prolonged displacement," she said.
"To ensure genuine healing and rehabilitation, we also look forward to equal efforts to ensure peace and sustainable livelihood towards genuine healing and restoration of Marawi and its people," she added.
The Marawi siege was a five-month conflict between government security forces and militants with ties to the Islamic State (IS). It started on May 23, 2017. Reports stated that more than 1,200 persons died during the siege.