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BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi – The week-long festivities celebrating the 5th Bangsamoro Foundation Day started in Tawi-Tawi with a lively motorcade on January 22, featuring participants from Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) ministries, agrencues, and other stakeholders.
The Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) headed by Minister Raissa H. Jajurie led the anniversary celebration on the island province.
During the opening program, Jajurie shared the significant history of BARMM, highlighting its advancements and achievements over the past five years. She emphasized that while the Bangsamoro Government is already making strides there is a commitment to achieving even more.
“As we celebrate the BARMM foundation anniversary, we try to reach out to all the constituent units of the Bangsamoro Government. We hope to collaborate and work (with) the local government units not only at the provincial level but also at the municipal level,” Jajurie said.
“In the coming years we will be working more together because of the upcoming devolution. We look forward to that journey as we strengthen the municipal, provincial, and regional government,” she added.
Additionally, Jajurie announced collaborations, including the partnership of MSSD and Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) for the former’s Bangsamoro Critical Assistance for Indigents in Response to Emergency Situations (B-CARES) Program, and agreements with private diagnostic centers for services beyond IPHO, funded by MSSD. Memoranda of agreement (MOAs) were signed with the respective heads to formalize these collaborations.
MBHTE Gymnasium hosts 5th Foundation Day Fete in Tawi-Tawi
Mohammad Yacob, minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), was also present during the event. In his short message, he cited the significance of unity and mutual understanding for building a more abundant and sustainable community.
Various BARMM ministries and offices established booths, help desks, and tents at the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) gymnasium, to provide their free services to the public during the festivity. The weeklong activities that started on January 21 culminated in simultaneous parades across municipalities, organized by the MBHTE.
With the five-day joyous celebration, the people of Tawi-Tawi gained confidence in their partnership with BARMM, working together for a more inclusive Moral Governance. Although the celebration concluded, the journey continues toward a promising future.
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. (Laila Aripin/BIO). — (✓)