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COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — Nine years after the bloody Marawi siege uprooted tens of thousands of families, many “bakwits,” or internally displaced persons (IDPs), are no longer merely seeking relief assistance—they are demanding the restoration of their dignity and a permanent end to their displacement.
“Our relatives are tired and exhausted from hosting us, especially as our families have grown over the past nine years,” said Jamilah Sarif Asama, speaking on behalf of home-based bakwits during a consultation dialogue organized by the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao last Friday.
The gathering brought together displaced residents, community leaders and government officials in an effort to ensure that the voices of Marawi’s displaced population are heard and translated into concrete government action.
“It was a deeply important consultation and the overarching sentiment was clear: emergency relief handouts are no longer enough. The people want their dignity back,” said Jeve Alferez, chief of the MSSD Information and Communications Division.
