A LAWMAKER representing Lanao del Sur has filed a bill seeking to provide monetary compensation to the residents of Marawi City whose houses were damaged or destroyed during the five-month armed conflict in the Islamic city.
House Bill 7711, also known as the "Marawi Siege Victim Compensation Act of 2018," states that "it is the State's moral obligation to provide monetary compensation for the real property losses inside the Main Affected Area (MAA) and Greater Marawi Area (GMA) caused by the Marawi siege."
The bill was filed last May 16 by Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Ansaruddin Adiong, its author.
Section 3 of the measure states that the monetary compensation shall be received by qualified claimants "tax free."
The claimant is defined under the bill as the legal owner of a residential or commercial building whose house or commercial unit was destroyed either totally or partially on the occasion of the Marawi siege.
The bill states that the monetary compensation shall be sourced from the Compensation Trust Fund.
"An amount of P20 billion shall be allocated under this act which shall be known as the Compensation Trust Fund. Such fund will be under the custody of the Board and shall be included in the Annual General Appropriations Act. This fund shall be primarily used to grant compensation to qualified claimants," it states.
The bill further seeks the creation of the "Marawi Compensation Board."
The board shall be composed of 13 members from different government agencies, including among others the undersecretaries in the Department of National Defense, Department of Health and the Department of Justice, with the Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council as Board's chairman.
The governor of Lanao del Sur and the mayor of Marawi City shall also be members of the Board.
The Board is tasked to receive all claims, determine the validity of all claims filed within 30 days after submission, and disburse the compensation to qualified claimants, among others.
The Board will determine the monetary compensation based on the fair market value of the residential or commercial building at the time of the Marawi siege.
The award of the monetary compensation shall take effect within 30 days after the Board has approved with finality each eligible claims and after due publication of such.
The monetary compensation shall be used "exclusively" for the construction of damaged building.
The claimants shall report proof of its use within six months after the receipt of the monetary compensation.
Any claimants found by the Board after investigation to have fraudulent claims or have violated any provision of the act could face an imprisonment from 6 up to 12 years. (SunStar Philippines)