Senator Alan Peter Cayetano renewed his call for a “creative solution” involving key government agencies to develop fairer compensation solutions for victims of the 2017 Marawi siege.
This developed as the Senate Special Committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation and Victims’ Compensation held a hearing recently to review Senate Bill No. 2828.
The bill aims to address gaps in the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act (RA No. 11696) to make the compensation process more equitable for affected residents.
“I am confident that if we collaborate with relevant agencies and present a creative and well-thought-out compensation strategy, we can gain the support of our President and fellow members of Congress,” Cayetano said.
“The goal is to help them rebuild their lives and bring them back to where they were before the Marawi siege.”
Emphasizing the importance of compensation in restoring the victims’ pre-war lives, the veteran legislator said the goal is “to help them rebuild their lives and bring them back to where they were before the Marawi siege”.
“This is about giving them a fair chance to restore what they lost and move forward.”
“This is about giving them a fair chance to restore what they lost and move forward,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
The senator has consistently highlighted the need for a valuation system that reflects the actual cost of restoring damaged or lost properties.
During the Senate Joint Congressional Oversight Committee (JCOC) meeting on Marawi’s recovery held on May 21, 2024, he stressed that compensation should be based on the “replacement or repair cost” of lost properties rather than outdated market values, aligning with the bill’s objective of fairer and more realistic compensation.
“In the end, when we really compensate them, we want na ‘pag sinabi nilang ‘Thank you,’ it’s because we cared, hindi ‘yung ‘kesa sa wala’,” CAyetano concluded in that meeting.
