Senator Christopher “Bong” Go lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for signing Republic Act No. 11696, or the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act of 2022, saying that the measure will provide necessary additional support to the victims of the 2017 Marawi siege in order to rebuild their lives.

The Marawi siege was a military conflict between Philippine government and militants linked with the Islamic State, including the Maute and Abu Sayyaf Salafi jihadist groups, that began on May 23, 2017. The conflict lasted for five months.

“Mga kapatid kong Maranaos, obligasyon po naming mga taga-gobyerno na ihatid ang inyong pangangailangan sa mga panahon na ito. Kaya naman maraming salamat sa aking mga kasamahan sa Senado at buong Kongreso sa aksyon at pagsuporta sa bill na ito,” Go expressed.

“Ang importante po ngayon sa amin ni Pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte ay makaahon kayo muli. Nasa gitna pa po tayo ng pandemya ngunit hindi po kami titigil hanggang mabigyan kayo ng sapat na suporta,” he vowed.

Co-authored by Go, RA 11696 seeks to provide internally-displaced persons (IDPs) compensation or reparation for houses destroyed and properties that can no longer be recovered due to the attack of Islamic State-linked terrorists in the city.

Any qualified owner of residential, cultural, commercial structures, and other properties in Marawi City’s most affected areas (MAA) and other affected areas (OAA) shall also receive reparation from the government.

The bill creates the Marawi Compensation Board which shall receive, evaluate, process, investigate, approve with finality, and disburse any and all compensation to qualified claimants under the law.

In his previous pronouncements, Go cited that the law is expected to help more than 300,000 victims who have been displaced due to the conflict. He also noted that it is just one of the many initiatives of the government to help rehabilitate Marawi City, its residents and affected neighbors from the devastating loss they suffered.

The legislator then praised Marawi City residents, particularly local officials, for their fortitude and determination to rebuild in the face of adversity. Go reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the country achieves President Duterte’s agenda of long-term peace and development.

“Matagal na po itong ninanais ni Pangulong Duterte na maging mapayapa ang bansa dahil ito ang magbibigay daan sa atin upang umasenso ang ating bayan,” Go noted.

“Kaya naman patuloy po kaming magseserbisyo sa mga kapatid natin diyan sa Mindanao upang tuluyan na nating makamit ang kapayapaan at kaunlaran para sa ating mga kababayan,” he added.

Earlier, Go, who is also a member of the Senate Special Committee on Marawi Rehabilitation, appealed to fellow lawmakers and concerned government officials to continue pursuing support programs that would provide more opportunities for the Marawi siege victims to fully recover.

He stressed the need to revitalize disrupted socio-economic activities in the city and other affected municipalities, saying, “Napaka-importante po ngayon ng pakikipagbayanihan. Ipagpatuloy lang po natin ang ating nasimulan upang tuluy-tuloy na po ang pagbangon muli ng Marawi.”