EDITORIAL | Eight Years of Displacement: Marawi’s IDPs Still Await Return

Marawi City – Eight years after the 2017 Marawi Siege, over 70,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to live in temporary shelters, with no definitive timeline for their return. Despite repeated assurances of rehabilitation and recovery, vast portions of the city, especially in the Most Affected Area (MAA), also known as Ground Zero, remain uninhabitable.

On May 23, 2017, clashes between government forces and armed extremists affiliated with the Maute Group and ISIS triggered one of the most devastating urban conflicts in recent Philippine history. The five-month siege resulted in the near-total destruction of Marawi’s urban core and the forced displacement of an estimated 350,000 residents, affecting both the city proper and surrounding municipalities.

In the immediate aftermath, families sought refuge in evacuation centers, while others moved in with relatives or into transitional shelters built by the government and aid organizations. These facilities, initially presented as short-term solutions, have now become semi-permanent communities.

As of 2024, many IDPs remain in government-designated relocation sites such as Sagonsongan, Boganga Lakeview, and Bakwit Village. These areas have evolved into barangay-like zones, despite lacking essential infrastructure. Issues persist around inadequate access to clean water, electricity, sanitation, education, and livelihood opportunities.

Surveys and reports from humanitarian agencies and local NGOs reveal that IDPs continue to face “protracted displacement,” wherein temporary arrangements turn into long-term stagnation. The lack of economic opportunities and rising costs of living in these shelters have deepened the sense of uncertainty and marginalization among the displaced.

The Philippine government launched the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) to lead the city’s rehabilitation. While some infrastructure projects have been completed, progress in the MAA remains slow. Residential areas still bear visible scars of conflict: bullet-ridden buildings, collapsed structures, and uncleared debris.

Compounding this is the delayed implementation of Republic Act No. 11696, also known as the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act of 2022. Although the law promises financial redress for lost properties and lives, bureaucratic bottlenecks and insufficient funding have impeded the delivery of compensation. As of mid-2023, a significant number of IDPs have yet to receive any aid under the program.

Beyond economic and physical losses, the displacement has disrupted the cultural and social fabric of the Meranaw people. While the physical destruction wrought by the Marawi Siege is well documented, the damage extends far beyond ruined homes and lost livelihoods. One of the most profound and less visible consequences of displacement has been the erosion of cultural continuity and communal identity among the Meranaw people. It was a place where religious life, traditional arts, and communal events intertwined to create a strong and resilient sense of identity. Marawi has long served not only as an urban center but as the cultural and spiritual heartland of the Meranaw.

Today, in temporary shelters scattered across areas like Boganga, Sagonsongan, and Bakwit Village, this cultural vibrancy is in danger of fading. Displaced from their communities and confined to densely packed settlements, IDPs have found it increasingly difficult to sustain these practices. Makeshift madrasahs, essential to the religious education of Muslim youth, operate with limited resources and an acute shortage of Ustads. Religious and cultural spaces, often reduced to multi-purpose tents or repurposed rooms, struggle to replicate the spiritual depth and community cohesion once found in Marawi’s mosques and plazas.

Addressing the displacement of Marawi’s people, therefore, demands more than housing and infrastructure. It requires intentional and sustained investment in cultural preservation and community restoration. Without this, the return of IDPs to rebuilt homes will not be a return to the life they once knew, but to a shell of it that’s devoid of traditions that once defined them.

The cultural dislocation experienced by the IDPs is not merely symbolic but has real implications for the mental health, identity, and cohesion of displaced families.

Despite visible developments in certain areas of Marawi—most notably in the newly rebranded Dansalan, the former commercial district—questions continue to surface over the direction and priorities of the city's post-conflict rehabilitation. Redevelopment efforts in Dansalan have included the construction of public parks, amusement rides, bazaars, and light displays, which have helped project an image of a city bouncing back from devastation. These attractions, particularly active during Ramadan, draw crowds and create the impression of vibrancy and progress.

However, for many internally displaced persons (IDPs) still residing in temporary shelters, such projects are seen as superficial and disconnected from their most pressing concerns. Entertainment facilities like ferris wheels, zip lines, and attractions serve as stark reminders of the resources being poured into tourism and spectacle, while basic needs in the shelters—such as food security, healthcare, clean water, electricity, and adequate housing lingers without an efficient resolution.

As billions of pesos continue to be funneled into construction projects across Marawi, the persistent neglect of the needs of IDPs suggests a fundamental misalignment of priorities. Until the displaced are returned to their communities, and their basic rights to shelter, livelihood, and identity are secured, the city’s “recovery” will remain, for many, an illusion.

As Marawi marks the eighth year since the siege, the fundamental issue remains unresolved: the return of displaced residents to their homes. Government statements have continued to emphasize a commitment to full rehabilitation, but implementation gaps persist.

Stakeholders from local and national civil society and human rights organizations alike have called for urgent reforms in how post-conflict rehabilitation is handled—placing greater focus on community-led rebuilding, transparency in funding, and prioritization of displaced populations.

The case of Marawi underscores the long-term consequences of urban conflict and the complexity of post-crisis recovery. While infrastructure can be rebuilt, the restoration of communities—physically, culturally, and economically—requires a comprehensive, people-centered approach.

Until meaningful resettlement and restitution are achieved, the recovery of Marawi cannot be considered complete. The IDPs, after eight years, are still waiting for their homes, their rights, and their dignity to be restored.