Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel (PPAB)

A veteran solon from Mindanao assured the public on Sunday, March 9 that Congress will see through the full implementation of the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Program.

This, as Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel, a member of the House Committee on Public Accounts, reported on Sunday, March 9 that Congress had allocated more than P3.2 billion for the program since its establishment in 2022.

“We have earmarked an additional P1.15 billion for the program in the 2025 General Appropriations Law. This is on top of the P1.13 billion allocated in 2024 and the initial P1 billion in 2023, ensuring the program remains sufficiently funded,” Pimentel said.

“Congress is committed to supporting the program until every qualified and approved compensation claim is paid in full,” added the lawmaker, who is a member of the House Committee on Public Accounts

The Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) reported that as of March 3, 2025, it had approved P2.28 billion in claims.

The MCB said it has approved 1,304 claims and consolidated another 223 claims involving renters, sharers, and co-owners.

Of the approved claims, P842 million has already been awarded to 496 claimants, with an average payout of P1.7 million per claim.

The program provides financial compensation to lawful owners of residential, cultural, and commercial properties that were totally or partially destroyed or damaged during the Marawi siege.

It also covers private properties demolished as part of Marawi's recovery and reconstruction efforts, as well as compensation for the heirs of those who died or are legally presumed dead.

The program was created under Republic Act No. 11696, also known as the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Law of 2022.

The 2017 siege left Marawi City in ruins, with 95 percent of structures in 24 barangays either heavily damaged or completely destroyed, mainly due to aerial and artillery bombardment.

The five-month-long armed conflict between government security forces and terrorist groups displaced more than 200,000 civilians.