By Mario Casayuran  Five pro-Duterte administration senators have jointly filed a bill providing monetary compensation to qualified residents for the loss or destruction of residential, cultural, or commercial structures, and other property in Marawi during the 2017 siege. Ruined buildings sit next to a body of water in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province, Philippines, May 23, 2019. On May 23, 2017, Islamic State terrorists belonging to the Maute Group and the Abu Sayyaf occupied Marawi City, triggering a five-month armed conflict that resulted in over a thousand deaths and left the city in ruins. (EPA-EFE / MARK R. CRISTINO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) The five lawmakers who authored Senate Bill (SB) No. 1395 pointed out that the affected Marawi residents need the government’s urgent help to get back on their feet and bring their lives back to normal. The five who initiated the filing of SB 1395, or the proposed Act to be known as the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act of 2020, include senators Juan Miguel Zubiri, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Francis Tolentino, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, and Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos. On May 23, 2017, a militant group composed of Abu Sayyaf and Maute members affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attacked the Islamic City of Marawi. The five-month long battle resulted in the massive displacement of 78,466 families or 359,680 persons; the death of 598 militants, 130 government forces, and 119 civilians; and the wounding of 1,287 government forces (Task Force Ranao). The estimated cost of socio-economic, infrastructure, equipment, and facilities damage is estimated to be more than P8 billion. It is noted that more than 1,000 houses were either partially damaged or destroyed at an estimated cost of P4 billion, while economic cost was estimated at another P4 billion. Administrative Order No. 3 was issued by President Duterte creating an Inter-Agency Task Force for the Recovery, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation of Marawi City, or Task Force Bangon Marawi. This was initially headed by the Secretary of National Defense, but was later on reorganized by virtue of Administrative Order No. 9 designating Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council chairman retired Maj. Gen. Eduardo del Rosario as the task force chairman. The reorganization of Task Force Bangon Marawi is a statement of the government’s commitment to rebuild and develop the settlement of the areas affected. Major infrastructures were destroyed and thousands of Marawi residents were left without shelter, without their place of business, and without jobs and other means of livelihood. Places of worship, educational facilities, and health care centers were also leveled to the ground. SB 1395 provides monetary compensation for the loss or destruction of residential, cultural, commercial facilities, and other properties following the precedent set by RA 10368, otherwise known as the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, and in cognizance of the principle of just compensation embedded in the social justice provisions of the 1987 Constitution. The five legislators explained that the state has the moral and legal obligation to provide concrete solutions to the concerns of the victims in the long process of reconstruction, rehabilitation, and recovery from the damages resulting from the Marawi siege.