Rebuilding from the ruins

The Filipino nation commemorated yesterday our 127th Independence Day. It was a celebration not only of our collective freedom but also the diverse and heroic histories that shaped it. This year’s theme, “Kalayaan, Kinabukasan, Kasaysayan,” reflected the enduring connection between our past, present and future.

Despite prediction of our state weather forecasters, no rains dampened the spirit of the Independence Day parade. But perhaps for the first time, this year’s annual float parade festivities that traditionally cap our Independence Day rites included previously unheard of Battle of Marawi in Lanao del Sur.

The float was not about the Marawi City siege that erupted on May 23, 2017 during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte. That bloody and deadly battle went on for five months and left in ruins the once bustling trade and commerce in the city of Marawi. Thousands of the largely Maranao folks evacuated away from harm’s way, leaving behind their livelihood and houses. The carpet-bombing and armed skirmishes freed the city from the stranglehold of the murderous Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-influenced Maute bandits.

The historic tribute to the Battle of Marawi pertained to the courage of Maranao warriors led by Amai Pacpac who resisted Spanish colonization in the late 19th century. The Bangsamoro holds this as an important yet often overlooked chapter in the Philippine struggle for independence. The 1895 Battle of Marawi was prominently depicted among the colorful floats in the Parada ng Kalayaan 2025 held yesterday at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, still more popularly called Luneta.

On the eve of our Independence Day celebration, officials and leaders in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) that included those from Lanao del Sur flew all the way to Manila to share important vignettes from Philippine history about the Battle of Marawi. Our featured resource persons during our Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday included BARMM Minister of Trade, Investments and Tourism Rosslaini Alonto-Sinarimbo; Ruhollah Hussein Alonto, a Board Member and lecturer of the Philippine National Historical Society and Abdul Rashid “Elian” Macala, regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Board chairman of the Bangon Marawi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and vice chairman of the Bangsamoro Business Council.

Speaking for the BARMM, Sinarimbo underscored the significance of including the Battle of Marawi in the narratives of Philippine history. She highlighted the presentation of the 1895 Battle of Marawi in the Independence Day float parade aimed to honor the legacy of Moros who fought for freedom from our Spanish colonizers.

This is to bring forth greater recognition of Mindanao’s vital role in nation-building, Sinarimbo added.

Deeply rooted in freedom and historical truth, Alonto recalled the feats of the unsung heroes during the 1895 Battle of Marawi and the countless others who fought against the Spanish colonizers when they tried to enclose Mindanao with their forts. Despite the trials of war, displacement and rising from the ruins of armed battles, the largely Maranao warriors of Marawi remain united as a people in preserving their cultural identity, according to Alonto. From the bravery shown in 1895, Alonto cited the people of Marawi have been plodding to embody resilience and hope while striving toward peace, development and lasting freedom.

Fast forward. There are still a lot of challenges in rebuilding the war-damaged Marawi city after the Maute siege, Macala pointed out. Of the total 97 barangays comprising the city of Marawi, Macala noted, 24 barangays inside the so-called “ground zero” where the armed battles took place during the siege remain in a state of disrepair.

According to Macala, these challenges are more felt from the ranks of Maranao traders and many others engaged in medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs) like him who are not considered “priority” under the Marawi Compensation Act. This is under Republic Act (RA) 11696, or the Marawi Siege Victim’s Compensation Act of 2022. It was signed into law by ex-president Duterte on April 13, 2022.

To ensure the fair and efficient distribution of compensation as stipulated by the law, the Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) was established. The Board of Claims was created to resolve applications for claims for compensation by victims of unjust imprisonment, detention and victims of violent crimes. Under RA 11696, the MCB was mandated to compensate survivors whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed.

Among other things, the MCB was also tasked with processing 14,495 claims from individuals affected by the siege, which devastated 32 barangays. As provided for by the same law, a deadline of 2028 was given to the MCB to complete the processing of claims.

Currently, lawyer Moslemen T. Macarambon Sr. assumed as the chairperson of the MCB only last March 25. He took over from former MCB chairperson Maisara Dandamun-Latiph, who reported having disbursed so far payments to 1,436 claimants from 2023 to 2024. For this year, the MCB earlier set a target of around 2,000 to 3,000 claimants to receive compensation.

Unfortunately, Macala pointed out, traders and MSME owners like him were not in the priority claimants listed in this law.

Macala runs his own family enterprise Soti fuel, Soti halal food stalls and others in Marawi before the siege and survived it. From the reports he gathered, as many as 25 to 35 percent of qualified claimants are still waiting for the processing of their claims from the MCB.

As a quasi-judicial body, the nine-member MCB was mandated to rigorously screen applications to prevent fraud and ensure the compensation is rightly given to qualified claimants.

“Ang aking mga kababayan ay nagdurusa pa rin. They have not been able to rebuild their houses, the basic necessities like water have not been fully restored up to now,” Macala rued.

Our Marawi folks can only hope their joining the Independence Day parade will remind our national government officials to include them in the celebration of unity, cultural pride and a renewed commitment to shaping our country’s future.