MANILA-To mark the International Day of the Disappeared, over 200 family members of around 170 people who went missing in the 2017 Marawi conflict gathered in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte on August 31 to urge Philippine authorities to provide answers on the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.
The annual event also served as an opportunity for them to honor their missing relatives’ legacies and memories.
“The International Day of the Disappeared is a day for families of the missing to stand in solidarity with each other and remember their missing relatives,” said Johannes Bruwer, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in the Philippines, which organized the gathering.
“Those who went missing from the Marawi conflict seven years ago will never be forgotten. We will continue to support the families of the missing as they urge the authorities to provide them answers so they can finally find closure.”
The obligation to prevent people from going missing and to account for persons reported missing is enshrined in the Geneva Conventions, to which the Philippine government is a party. As such, the government is obligated to clarify the fate and whereabouts of those missing due to armed conflicts and other situations of violence.
During the commemoration in Iligan City, representatives of the families shared the challenges that they have faced.
Some of the families said they have not yet received compensation. They also mentioned the difficulty of obtaining certificates of presumptive death for their missing loved ones, which would enable them to address legal and administrative issues.
One of them, Amanda*, said: “When my brother went missing, my mother experienced so much heartache. Now, she’s skinny. My father could no longer do business since my brother was his partner.”
“It hurts to think that he’s gone. We don’t know his whereabouts. There’s no repayment for the disappearance of our loved one. The world could be given to us, but it still won’t be enough because we just want to see him,” she added.
The event also served as a way for the families of the missing to discuss their expectations from the authorities, including officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Marawi Compensation Board, the Public Attorney’s Office, the Philippine National Police Forensic Group, Marawi City mayor’s office, and the Lanao del Sur provincial government.
A similar gathering will happen on September 7 in Zamboanga City.
From 2017-2023, the ICRC has supported more than 200 families of the missing linked to the Marawi conflict through programs providing mental health and psychosocial support and livelihood initiatives, following the loss of their breadwinners. It also supports the Philippine National Police-Forensic Group in the collection of biological reference samples to identify human remains.(PR)
