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(SDN) October 14, 2023 — Bangsamoro Attorney General Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba is the head of the Special Fact-Finding Investigation Committee of the autonomous regional government.
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al-Hajj Murad” Ebrahim appointed her on October 11 as the Office of the Chief Minister (OCM) created the fact-finding body.
The task of the investigation committee is to uncover the truth on the allegations of irregularities in the appointment of teachers and non-teachers of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE).
Headed by Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal, the MBHTE, one of the 15 primary ministries of the Bangsamoro government, welcomed the creation of the fact-finding committee in response to allegations of irregularities in the ministry’s hiring of teaching and non-teaching personnel.
Ebrahim, chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that governs the BARMM through the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), signed Memorandum Order No. 0339 constituting the Special Fact-Finding Investigation Committee. He addressed the memorandum to lawyer Haron S. Meling, SH.C., MBHTE deputy minister.
The Chief Minister in his memorandum noted the recent weeks’ “numerous reports and allegations shared through various online platforms and social media channels concerning irregularities and misconduct with the (MBHTE) despite serious reforms being implemented by the Ministry to adhere strictly to the merit and fitness in the civil service. Nevertheless, these allegations demand immediate attention and investigation.”
Ebrahim emphasized the BARMM government’s maintaining the “credibility and integrity of its processes and does not condone any irregularities in the conduct of hiring process”.
Conducting “a thorough and impartial investigation into the alleged anomalies” in the MBTE’s hiring processes is the fact-finding body’s “primary objective”, he pointed out in the memorandum.
Constituting the fact-finding committee are Dumama-Alba, chair; Meling, vice chair; and members Assistant Senior Minister Abdullah M. Cusain, OCM; MBHTE Director General for Basic Education Abdullah P. Salik, Jr.; and lawyer Mojahid S. Guro, Chief, Legal & Legislative Liaison Division, MBHTE. Its Secretariat is comprised of Johaira Sanggoyod, Sittie Johairah Guro (both lawyers), and Rahma S. Chio.
They were tasked to immediately start their investigation upon the fact-finding body’s approval and was “required to submit an initial report within 30 days from the commencement of its investigation”.
Ebrahim required the Special Committee to submit their final report to the OCM no later than December 29, 2o23, which should cover their findings and recommendations.
Earlier, Iqbal assured the full cooperation of the MBHTE in the investigation.
MBHTE issued a statement on the formation of the fact-finding committee.
“The Chief Minister and the MBHTE leadership are confident that the Committee can conduct a thorough, unbiased investigation, and impartial investigation of misconduct allegations. The results of this investigation will not only shed light on the specific claims but also strengthen the observance of Moral Governance in the region.”
As this developed, the education ministry reiterated its appeal to the public, individuals or entities, to come forward if they have information, evidence, or concerns about the allegations.
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 Special Geographic Area’s (SGA) 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. (✓)