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COTABATO CITY — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), together with the BARMM Commission on Audit (COA), held Friday, September 27, the 2024 Entrance Conference which aimed to uphold the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and compliance with the law in all operational aspects of the Ministry.
BARMM stands for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao established by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in 2019 to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
In a message delivered on behalf of BARMM Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal, MBHTE Deputy Minister Haron S. Meling said, “Rest assured of our [MBHTE] commitment that is fully compliant with what the law says.”
The conference marked the beginning of the 2024 audit process, a critical step in ensuring the proper management of public funds entrusted to the MBHTE to deliver education services across the Bangsamoro region.
Further, it provided a platform for the audit team and MBHTE personnel to discuss essential aspects of the audit, including its objectives, schedules, timelines, and the methodologies that will be employed. The meeting signaled the beginning of a collaborative effort to ensure that financial records are accurately maintained, and public resources are utilized efficiently for the benefit of the Bangsamoro people.
BARMM COA Regional Director Rasdy Mitmug, CPA, underscored the importance of unity between MBHTE and COA in promoting transparency and accountability.
“As auditors, our responsibility is not only simply doing the financial records. We are tasked with ensuring that public resources are financed efficiently and effectively to benefit the people we serve,” Regional Director Mitmug said.
“Our goal is not just to assess and evaluate, but to work with the MBHTE with its mission to provide an inclusive and quality education that fosters understanding, skill development, and positive change to the Bangsamoro community. May you carry your duties with the highest levels of integrity, fairness, and accuracy to COA standards,” he added.
The MBHTE reaffirms its commitment to these principles, recognizing that transparency and accountability are not merely administrative obligations but the cornerstone of its mandate to deliver quality education to every Bangsamoro learner.
The event was attended by key personnel from the 10 schools divisions offices under the Basic Education, seven Ministry-Supervised Higher Education Institutions, and TESD Provincial Offices and operating units. (TESD is technical education and skills development.)
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, 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. With the recent plebiscite at SGA, the BARMM now has eight new municipalities as residents voted “Yes”.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities (plus eight newly established under the SGA: 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. (✓)