With more than 300 people still unaccounted for from the 2017 Marawi conflict, families of the missing gathered in Iligan City on Tuesday for the launch of The Book of Memories and a photo exhibition.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unveiled The Book of Memories (Ang Aklat ng Mga Alaala), a 77-page publication highlighting stories of loss and perseverance, ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared.
Around 300 participants attended the launch, including relatives of the missing from Mindanao, government officials, the Marawi Compensation Board, police forensic experts, and religious leaders. The event sought to preserve memories and amplify families’ voices.
An accompanying photo exhibition, open until August 30 at Robinsons Iligan, features images by photojournalist Larry Monserate Piojo. Families posed with objects once belonging to their missing kin, against metaphors of fragility and resilience.
“Eight years since losing their loved ones, the families have remained resilient in the face of many challenges,” said Johannes Bruwer, head of the ICRC delegation in the Philippines.
“While we believe that the authorities are working on clarifying the fate of the missing, continued effort will be needed to reach a conclusion. The book and exhibit serve as a reminder of the families’ determination to know the fate of their loved ones,” he added.
Relatives urged authorities to ease hurdles in securing documents for benefits, pensions, and property rights, and to release long-awaited information on positive identifications already made.
“We hope that the government could help all families of the missing, whether financially or through other means,” said Litisia Palahang, who continues to search for her son.
“There are so many of their children who cannot go to school. And the government should help all families, whether they are Muslims or Christians,” she said.
Officials cited steps such as creating a technical working group in Lanao del Sur to oversee the identification and exhumation of remains at the Maqbara cemetery. They stressed families had “not been abandoned,” despite challenges in the process.
The ICRC has recorded more than 300 people missing since the Marawi siege. It emphasized that the duty to account for the missing is enshrined in the Geneva Conventions, which require dignified management of the dead and identification of the unidentified.
