Mindanaotoday.com | Marawi Compensation Board outlines plans for warfare victims
By: Claire Gigje
MARAWI CITY – Intending to deliver the necessary response to siege-affected residents here, the newly established Marawi Compensation Board has disclosed its initial plans, which shall be pursued immediately.
Lawyer Maisara Dandamun-Latiph, who is in charge of the Marawi Compensation Board, said she and the other members started working on January 30.
A week later, they went back to Marawi for their first meeting, where they talked about their action plan for the next 90 days.
She said that during this time, the first thing they’ll do is set up their secretariat because the law says that’s the first thing they have to do when they take office.
Latiph added that among their major plans is to pass the IRR, which would become effective 15 days after its approval.
She shared that they had already had a separate meeting with the provincial government of Lanao del Sur, and the Marawi City government.
Both, accordingly, presented their carefully crafted IRRs, which were welcomed by the compensating board as additional references for the first draft.
Latiph assured people not to fret over future events, for they would not begin from nothing.
“Huwag tayong mag-alala kasi hindi tayo magsisimula (Let us not worry because we will not start) from scratch. We have these two references na (of) IRR that were drafted by the provincial and city government na maging aming (which will become our) preliminary draft,” she said.
Latiph further said that afterward, they would proceed with the acceptance of the filing of the claims to start the monetary compensation.
She made sure to say that the list of legitimate recipients would be based on documents from the government.
Papers will include those coming from the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM), such as the Kathanor, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) social cartography, and the Office of Civil Defense’s (OCD) post-conflict needs assessment report.
Latiph made it clear that even though they will still look at the Kathanor list from the TFBM, the most important thing is still the claimants’ applications.
She said that Kathanor is just another list, and that the actual applications will show if people who claim they are entitled to compensation can get it or not.
Latiph added that some were not included in the Kathanor list but are deemed rightful beneficiaries; thus, they must not be precluded from filing their application.
“Huwag mag-alala na kung wala ka sa Kathanor, hindi kayo masasama dahil hindi iyon totoo (Do not worry that if you are not in Kathanor, you will be excluded because that is not true),” she said. (CRG | PIA-10 | Lanao del Sur)
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