Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go expressed optimism that the victims of the 2017 Marawi siege are a step closer to getting necessary additional support to rebuild their lives after the Senate approved on third and final reading the Marawi Compensation Bill on Monday, Jan. 31.
Co-authored by Go, Senate Bill No. 2420 or the proposed Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act seeks to provide internally-displaced persons (IDPs) compensation or reparation for houses destroyed and properties that can no longer be recovered due to the attack of Islamic State-linked terrorists in the city.
Any qualified owner of residential, cultural, commercial structures, and other properties in Marawi City’s most affected areas (MAA) and other affected areas (OAA) shall also receive reparation from the government if the measure is enacted into law.
Go cited that the bill is expected to help more than 300,000 victims. He also noted that it is just one of the many initiatives of the government to help rehabilitate Marawi City, its residents, and affected neighbors from the devastating loss they suffered.
“Mga kapatid kong Maranaos, obligasyon po naming mga taga-gobyerno na ihatid ang inyong pangangailangan sa mga panahon na ito. Kaya naman maraming salamat sa aking mga kasamahan sa Senado sa aksyon at pagsuporta sa bill na ito,” Go expressed.
“Ang importante po ngayon sa amin ni Pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte ay makaahon kayo muli. Nasa gitna pa po tayo ng pandemya ngunit hindi po kami titigil hanggang mabigyan kayo ng sapat na suporta,” he vowed.
The lawmaker then commended the people of Marawi City including its local leaders for their courage and efforts to start anew amid these challenging times. Go reassured that he will continue working to ensure that the country attains President Duterte’s vision of long-lasting peace and development.
“Matagal na po itong ninanais ni Pangulong Duterte na maging mapayapa ang bansa dahil ito ang magbibigay daan sa atin upang umasenso ang ating bayan,” Go noted.
“Kaya naman patuloy po kaming magseserbisyo sa mga kapatid natin diyan sa Mindanao upang tuluyan na nating makamit ang kapayapaan at kaunlaran para sa ating mga kababayan,” he added.
As a member of the Senate Special Committee on Marawi Rehabilitation, Go further appealed to fellow lawmakers and concerned government officials to continue pursuing support programs that would provide more opportunities for the Marawi siege victims to fully recover.
He then stressed the need to revitalize disrupted socio-economic activities in the city and other affected municipalities, saying, “Napaka-importante po ngayon ng pakikipagbayanihan. Ipagpatuloy lang po natin ang ating nasimulan upang tuluy-tuloy na po ang pagbangon muli ng Marawi.”
Meanwhile, Go reiterated his appeal for the government to develop a more holistic approach in addressing local insurgency. He then reaffirmed his support to sustain necessary humanitarian and development projects in conflict-affected areas nationwide.
“Personally, parati po kaming umaakyat ni Pangulong Duterte noon sa bundok, nakikipag-usap dahil kinukuha namin ‘yung mga bihag na mga sundalo at pulis. Nakaka-usap namin sila. Ako, ayaw kong nagpapatayan ang Pilipino ng kapwa sa Pilipino o sundalo against sa rebelde. Ayaw ko po,” shared Go earlier.
“Sino ba namang Pilipino ang gustong makipagpatayan sa kapwa Pilipino? Kapag may namamatay na sundalo kawawa ‘yung pamilya. Kapag may namamatay naman na rebelde kawawa din ‘yung pamilya. Ako mismo saksi dito. Kapag nakikita mo ang mga burol, talagang dumudugo ang iyong puso,” he ended. (PR) – bny
