‘HR victims can file claims until November’

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – Victims of human rights abuses during Martial Law have until Nov. 12 to file their reparation claims from the P10-billion ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family, the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board said.

The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) reported that the claims board, which expects at least 40,000 claimants, would start processing remuneration claims for human rights victims on May 12.

Besides petitioners in the $2-billion class suit filed against the Marcos estate in Hawaii, qualified claimants include those recognized by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, said claims board member Jacqueline Mejia.

The claims board was created under Republic Act 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, which provides reparation and recognition of human rights victims during the Marcos regime.

It was commissioned to receive, evaluate, process and investigate claimants’ applications for compensation from the multibillion-peso fund, which the government has allocated from the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family.

Since last month, the claims board has been conducting public consultations regarding the reparation law’s implementing rules before it could start processing monetary compensations for qualified claimants, the PIA said.

Aurora Parong, another claims board member and a human rights victim herself, said that claimants like her should consider the “reparation as a token instead of a payout.”

“This is not a payout,” she said. “How can you pay for the sufferings which until now still linger?”