ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 7 Sep) – Officials in Marawi City and Lanao del Sur praised the House of Representatives’ approval on Monday during its third and final reading of the Marawi Compensation Bill.
Reconstructing the devastated streets of Marawi City. MindaNews file photo by FROILAN GALLARDO
Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra expressed gratitude to Muslim representatives in the Lower House in their relentless efforts to facilitate the drafting and passing of House Bill 9925.
“This is of big help to the public, especially to the owners of the private properties destroyed within the 24 barangays in the Main Battle Area during the Marawi siege,” he added.
He expressed hope that the Senate will do the same and pass its counterpart bill soon “so that by 2022, the funds will be included in the budget.”
“For the past three years and a half, it has been the clamor of the people of Lanao del Sur, specifically those affected by the Marawi siege, to have the Marawi Compensation Bill passed,” said Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr.
“Now, we are assured that our fellow Meranaws who are severely affected by the Marawi siege will have hope that they can rebuild their lives all over again. We Meranaws are very resilient because of our faith in Allah the Almighty, and with just a little bit of a push, the process of rebuilding becomes easier for us. The passage of the Marawi Compensation Bill is the push we have all been waiting for,” he added.
A total of 197 lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill 9925, otherwise known as the proposed Marawi Compensation Act (An Act Providing Monetary Compensation to Qualified Claimants, through the Task Force Bangon Marawi, for the Loss or Destruction of Residential and Commercial Properties as a Result of the 2017 Armed Conflict Between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Terrorist Groups in Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur, and Appropriating Funds therefor).
It took government troops five months to retake Marawi. (Richel V. Umel / MindaNews)
