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COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro government has turned over three barangay halls and one public market to barangays Nunguan, Macabual, and Manaulanan in the Pikit Cluster of the Special Geographic Area (SGA) on November 25, 2023.
While the SGA is within the territorial lands of the North Cotabato, it’s under the governance jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) headed by Minister Naguib G. Sinarimbo made the turnover of the structures, four among it’s hundreds of projects in the autonomous region.
is increasing the turnover of completed infrastructure projects around the region as newly elected barangay officials begin their terms. The new barangay halls, according to MILG Minister Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, will increase the Bangsamoro Government’s presence at the barangay level. “The guidance of BARMM Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim is for the constituents to be taken care of where services are available in the nearest government center,” the minister went on to say.
With a ₱3.5 million budget apiece, the barangay halls will not only house the barangay council and officials but will also host BLGU activities and serve as a community gathering space, promoting constituent participation in governance.
The Bangsamoro public market was turned over to Barangay Manaulanan in an effort to enhance economic activity in the municipality’s interior sections. Sanim Pangato, Punong Barangay of Manaulanan, stated in his acceptance speech that the pursuit of a better community cannot be done just by elected authorities. “Every one of us has a role, and I asked all of you to let us work together to boost our economy and secure peace and order,” he added.
More barangay halls will be turned over to barangay local government units throughout the region in the coming weeks.
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. (✓)