Grapevine

By Al Jazeera
Aug 15, 2024

Compensation arrives 7 years after siege that left Marawi a ‘dead city’

Hundreds were killed after the once bustling town in the southern Philippines was occupied by hardline fighters in 2017.

Marawi, Philippines – Maisara Dandamun-Latiph’s office sits on a hill overlooking the ruins of Marawi, the southern Philippine city that was destroyed during a five-month battle with hardline fighters linked to the ISIL (ISIS) group in 2017.

Dandamun-Latiph was named chairperson of the Marawi Compensation Board in 2023, after years of promises to rebuild the city came to nothing.

Now, Marawi residents are finally beginning to receive payouts, in a compensation process that also must navigate a frayed and fragile trust.

“We want the people to be on board with us,” Dandamun-Latiph told Al Jazeera. “The people deserve nothing less than very good service after what has happened.”