Photo courtesy pixabay
ALMOST P149 million as compensation to the victims of the 2017 Marawi siege has been distributed by the government.
Marawi Compensation Board chairperson Maisara Dandamun Latiph said the amount represents the 32 structural property claims and 86 death claims that the MCB has already paid to victims.
Latiph said the board hopes to compensate around 2,000 claimants this year, adding that they have initiated efforts to expedite the process of claiming financial compensation.
“Mayroon po kaming estimate na actual target for this year, every month po ang estimate po namin na mabibigyan ay mga 100 to 200 claimants, so sa palagay ko po ay matatapos namin iyon before the end of the year, mga around 2,000 na claimants po. So ito po kung [unclear] nag-expedite po ng aming process, ginawa na po namin na mas efficient at mas effective ang aming procedure, para mas marami pong makatanggap this year at makabalik na sa Marawi,” she said as posted on ABS-CBNews.
Latiph meanwhile said that as of May 2024, there are already 14,000 claimants that have formally requested for compensation from the Philippine government ahead of the the July 3, 2024 deadline.
These claims, she said, are now being carefully studied by the board.
“So for this year po, we are looking at around 1,000 to 2,000 claimant; and next year po ay ganoon din po, mga 3,000 claimants. Kung sakali pong ma-fast track po namin iyan, hopefully po, matapos namin iyong work namin by 2028 ‘no at lahat po ay mabayaran ng kanilang claim, iyong 14,000 na claimants po,” she said.
The board estimates that it would need an annual budget of P7 billion to be able to properly compensate the thousands of victims.
