MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur (PIA)--The Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) held, May 16, the last leg of public consultation for the finalization of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act of 2022.
The consultation was attended by leaders of internally displaced persons staying in the transitory sites and permanent shelters of Marawi as well as those from barangays outside the most affected area of the city.
Lawyer Maisara Damdamun-Latiph, MCB chairperson, said the output of the consultation will be included in the final draft of the IRR.
Among the concerns raised by IDP leaders were the manner of filing applications, the requirements, the expansion of covered barangays, and the inclusion of properties outside the covered barangays that were looted during the five-month siege.
Another controversial concern raised was the deduction of government benefits already received from the total compensation, which the Board clarified its position on.
Latiph emphasized that the deduction of government benefits received by claimants does not include relief aid or other consumable assistance extended for humanitarian response and recovery.
The MCB has already conducted four consultations for the IRR formulation. The first was with five key government agencies - the Department of Finance, the Department of Budget and Management, the Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission, the National Economic and Development Authority, and the Task Force Bangon Marawi.
"Pangalawa naman ay yung public hearing with experts, These are leaders and experts na sa tingin natin sila ay may naaangkin na expertise para makatulong din sila sa pagbuild ng atin IRR. At pangatlo with various stakeholders, CSO leaders, private Madrasah, private schools, torils, masjeed owners and administrators, barangay chairpersons, and NGOs," she explained.
The second is the public hearing with experts. These are leaders and experts that we think have the right expertise to help build our IRR. And third, with various stakeholders CSO leaders, private Madrasah, private schools, torils, masjeed owners and administrators, barangay chairpersons, and NGOs)
The MCB chairperson is also thankful to the city government of Marawi and the provincial government of Lanao del Sur for conducting dialogues before the appointment of MCB members and producing a draft IRR, which they submitted to the Board. She said MCB's first IRR draft was based on the input of the two local government units.
She is hopeful the board can finish the final IRR draft next week in time for the anniversary of the Marawi siege.
Latiph further said that after the publication of the IRR, the Board will conduct a massive IEC campaign on how the IDPs can file their application for compensation.
In the meantime, she assured IDPs that the Board will fast-track the implementation of the law and that the process will be smooth, fast, and effective.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. appointed Latiph and members of the MCB earlier this year to facilitate the reparations to qualified claimants who lost residential and commercial properties in the Marawi siege.
The Marcos administration also allocated P1 billion under the 2023 General Appropriations Act to compensate IDPs who lost their properties during the five-month-long conflict. (APB/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)
