MARAWI CITY — The Marawi Reconstruction Conflict Watch (MRCW) on Friday urged lawmakers and the Office of the President to immediately boost funding and oversight for the Marawi compensation process, warning that thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) risk being denied justice.

More than eight years after the 2017 siege, only 2,178 of 14,495 claims have been processed, leaving over 12,000 unresolved — requiring P20 billion in funding.

“This funding is more important than the tens of billions used for restoring infrastructure that is rarely utilized because IDPs have not been able to rebuild their homes inside the city in the first place,” the group said.

MRCW proposed three urgent steps: increase the budget, set up a real-time claims tracking system, and prioritize rebuilding health and education services.

“At least 352 claims per month — that is the rate needed to finish 12,000 claims by June 2028,” said Mcmillan Lucman, MRCW member. She stressed that only around 2,000 claims have been resolved so far.

Dr. Rolanisah Dipatuan-Dimaporo called for vulnerable groups, especially senior citizens, to be prioritized, and urged the board to fully utilize its physician and educator members to speed up valuations of schools and hospitals.

Transparency concerns

Saripada “Tong” Pacasum Jr. criticized the board’s lack of transparency. “Hundreds of thousands from taxpayers’ money are paid monthly to each of the nine members of the Marawi Compensation Board. Claimants need clarity and real-time updates on their cases,” he said.

Community leaders also voiced frustration. Dr. Fedelinda Tawagon said, “Eight years is long enough! Marawi IDPs long for tangible results — a rebuilding we can see and feel in the daily life of our youth and families.”

Mohammad Abas added, “P10 billion worth of infrastructure projects are rarely used because IDPs cannot rebuild their homes without their rightful compensation.”

MRCW stressed that the compensation law was meant to be a healing mechanism, but without adequate funding and urgency, it risks becoming yet another unfulfilled promise.