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By EDD K. USMAN | Twitter: @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 | Facebook: SDN — SciTech and Digital News
COTABATO STATE UNIVERSITY, Cotabato City, May 28, 2023 (SDN) — Organizers of the BARMMAA Meet 2023, as of Saturday, May 27, have released the first partial results of the regional sporting event’s medal haul.
Participating in the five-day sports spectacle are the 11 Schools Division Offices (SDOs) of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), such as Cotabato City; Maguindanao I; Maguindanao II; Sulu; Basilan; Tawi-Tawi; Lanao del Sur II; Lamitan City; Lanao del Sur II; Marawi City; and Special Geographic City (SGA).
Around 4,738 athletes from an estimated 8,000 or more delegation members representing the 11 SDOs are competing for honors in 22 sports. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are up for grabs in Archery, Arnis, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball, Boxing, Chess, Basketball, Billiards, Football, Futsal, Paragames, Pencak Silat, Sepak Takraw, Softball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling, and Wushu.
The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the SGA comprised of 63 barangays or villages that voted “yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; undivided Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur.
The first tally released by the organizers showed as of May 27 that Tawi-Tawi has four gold medals (no silver and bronze yet); Maguindanao I and II have three gold medals, four silver, and 11 bronze; Sulu has 3 silver and two bronze; Basilan, one gold, one silver and two bronze; Lanao del Sur II, 1 gold and two silver; Lamitan City, 1 bronze; Lanao del Sur I, 1 gold; Marawi City and SGA have both none yet.
On May 25, Bangsamoro Chief Minister Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim led the opening of the BARMMAA Palaro 2023, exhorting them to perform their best while showing sportsmanship, among other disciplines.
MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal spoke about the objective of the sporting spectacle.
“The purpose of BARMMAA 2023 is to showcase na magaling ang Bangsamoro. Hindi lamang intellectually, but also physically (The purpose of BARMMAA 2023 is to showcase the Bangsamoro is good not only intellectually but also physically),” the Bangsamoro education chief said.
He pointed out that great peoples and nations have shown excellence in sports. “If the Bangsaamoro is to regain its proper place in the community of nations, then we must excell in sports.”
The theme for this year’s BARMMAA competition revolves around “Sustaining the Gains of Peace and Unity”.
Iqbal cited three important reasons on the significance of sport and physical education, such as:
- Promotes the health and well-being of learners,
- Offers essential and lasting life lessons, and,
- Contributes to an enabling environment for genuine peace and development.
“To reiterate, sports and physical education are essential to the school curriculum that promotes physical skills, fitness, sportsmanship, and positive attitudes toward physical activity among learners. Furthermore, physical education can enhance students’ academic performance, foster social and emotional learning, build self-esteem, and develop leadership skills,” Iqbal emphasized.
BARMMAA Meet 2023 organizers will award the winners at the conclusion on May 29. (✓)