Mindanao congressmen are seeking the passage of legislation that would compensate victims of the five-month Marawi Siege, citing the current deplorable state of the evacuees who are still waiting on the government’s promise of rehabilitation.
Basilan lone district Rep. Mujiv Hataman and Anak Mindanao Party-List Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan jointly filed House Bill (HB) no.3543, also known as the proposed “Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act of 2019.”
The bill seeks to quantify and eventually legislate payment for lost, damaged or destroyed properties of the victims of the 2017 Marawi crisis.
“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,” Hataman, former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said in filing the bill.
“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.
An estimated 1,000 ISIS-inspired Maute Group terrorists occupied Marawi City in Lanao del Sur on May 23, 2017. (Ellson Quismorio)
