Satellite images have revealed the extent of continued displacement in Marawi City seven years since the 2017 siege by followers of international jihadist group Islamic State.
Images obtained by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) show the disappearance of dense residential and commercial areas along the banks of Lake Lanao.
Over 300,000 residents of Marawi and nearby towns were displaced during the siege, according to government statistics. Many have yet to return.
Images from February 2017 (before the siege) and June 2024
The once bustling city center was the site of fierce battles between the militants and the Philippine military in 2017.
Thousands of houses and businesses were destroyed by gun battles and air strikes. Many of the structures that remained standing after the siege were later demolished.
Seven years on, many residents said they could not afford to rebuild.
Images from February 2017 (before the siege) and June 2024
Drieza Lininding, chairman of Marawi civil society organization Moro Consensus Group NGO, said residents can only return when they have the money to rebuild.
The Philippine Congress passed a law in 2022 to compensate the victims, but payments for damaged homes only began this month, on October 8.
The Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) announced that, as of October 1, it has resolved 900 claims and awarded compensation for 301 claims, totaling more than P500 million. The board also reported approving claims amounting to P1.2 billion.
The process has been slow, marred by various issues such as disputes over the amounts of compensation that victims are entitled to receive.
Lininding accused the Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) of implementing an “unjust valuation” of victims’ compensation.
February 2017 (before the siege)
2019
“Hindi makatarungan ang valuation ng ating mga nasirang kabahayan o properties,” Lininding said in a video message to mark seven years since the “liberation” of Marawi against the IS militants was declared.
(The valuation of our damaged homes and properties is unjust.)
“Baka matapos ang administrasyon ni BBM [President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos] na hindi pa nakakabalik ang majority ng ating mga kababayan,” he said.
(President Marcos might leave Malacañang in 2028 without the majority of Marawi residents having returned.)
2022
Funding continues to be a challenge. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) allocated a budget of P1 billion in the 2025 budget, falling short of the P7 billion that the compensation board requested.
An additional P2 billion was included in the 2025 budget under Unprogrammed Funds, which can only be released if the government’s revenue collection exceeds its projections.
2024
“Marami pong hindi natutuwa sa ating advocacy. Iniisip nila na masyadong malaki ang ating demands and expectations. Nais ko lang sabihan na sana ay sila ang dapat mag-unawa sa amin,” said Lininding.
(Many are not happy with our advocacies. They might think that we have too much demands and expectations. I hope that they will try to understand us.)
Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra, who was serving his first-term during the 2017 siege, is nearing the end of his third and final term.
He is running for vice mayor in next year’s elections while his son is aiming to succeed him as mayor. – PCIJ.org