Nearly a decade after the 2017 Marawi siege, about 300 families continue to seek answers on the fate of relatives who disappeared during the five-month conflict.
Ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared on Sunday, relatives of the missing held gatherings in Marawi City and Iligan City, renewing calls for authorities to determine what happened to their loved ones.
The families continue to endure ‘ambiguous loss,’ a painful form of grief made more difficult by the absence of remains and official confirmation of death.
The uncertainty has also created practical problems. Without death certificates or formal legal status, some families have been unable to claim government benefits and insurance, while others continue to hope their relatives may still be alive.
One of them is Bolawan Buyog, whose eldest son and family breadwinner, Abdul Jabaar, disappeared during the 2017 fighting.
Compensation
Buyog said her family’s claim for compensation was rejected by the Marawi Compensation Board, which questioned missing-person attestations issued by humanitarian workers.
Sittie Jamerah Mohammad, a field officer for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said attestations issued for missing persons were initially recognized but later faced scrutiny, including allegations that some documents were fabricated.
‘If it weren’t for the ICRC, I don’t know what would have become of us. We didn’t even know if we would make it out alive,’ Buyog said, crediting the humanitarian group’s support sessions and livelihood assistance for helping her family cope.
In Iligan City, relatives offered prayers and flowers at Paseo de Santiago before proceeding to the Maqbara cemetery in Marawi, where unidentified remains of people killed during the conflict are buried.
Families also gathered in Marawi to remember their missing relatives and discuss the newly formed Marawi Family Association, which seeks to advocate for affected households.
The ICRC said finding and identifying the missing is an obligation of authorities under international humanitarian law, which also recognizes families’ right to know the fate of their missing relatives
With the 10th anniversary of the Marawi conflict approaching in May 2027, families said they hoped authorities would finally provide answers and the closure they have awaited for years.