Thousands still displaced as Marawi siege reparations fall short

MARAWI, Philippines – Thousands of displaced Marawi residents, affected by the five-month-long fighting between the government and the extremist Maute Group seven years ago, have yet to return and rebuild, and are still living miserably in villages and temporary shelters outside Marawi. Months since the government started releasing reparation funds to Maranao families who lost loved ones, houses, and their other properties, the payment scheme is beset by complaints. The reparations are based on the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act of 2022 that is being implemented by a board. RUINS. A section of Marawi City remain in ruins on April 27, 2022. Froilan Gallardo/Rappler “The reparation money paid by the Marawi Compensation Board for properties and houses is not enough considering the cost of construction materials and inflation today,” said Drieza Lininding, head of the local civil society group Moro Consensus Group (MCG). Liningding said this is one of the reasons why the 24 barangays in Marawi’s “most affected area,” where the ISIS-inspired Maute group made their last stand, remain uninhabited. He said many residents cannot afford to pay for the reconstruction of their properties and houses despite the government reparations. Many of Marawi’s more than 200,000 residents are still...