Head of Marawi Compensation Board appointed

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed lawyer Maisara Dandamun-Latiph as chairperson of the Marawi Compensation Board (MCB), according to a report by Philippine News Agency.

In a statement, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil confirmed Dandamun-Latiph’s appointment. Dandamun-Latiph took the oath of office on Monday, Garafil said.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin led Dandamun-Latiph’s oath-taking, based on a photo shared by the PCO.

Republic Act (RA) 11696 provides for the creation of the MCB composed of a chairperson and eight members.

Under RA 11696, the MCB is tasked with facilitating the tax-free payment of reparations to “qualified claimants” who lost residential and commercial properties in the Marawi siege.

The law also grants private property owners compensation based on the sum of the current market value of the land and the replacement cost of structures and improvements.

Before her new stint, Dandamun-Latiph served as a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the interim government in the Bangsaromo Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), under the Duterte administration.

Dandamun-Latiph worked as BTA legislator, advocating for the vulnerable sectors, women, children, youth, environment, social enterprise and education, among others.

She was also a former senior state solicitor at the Office of the Solicitor General.