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COTABATO CITY (SDN) — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) has recently distributed Learners’ and Teachers’ Kits to Batulawan Central Elementary School (BCES) and Fort Pikit Elementary School (FPES) last December 2, 2024, as part of the Project Iqbal initiatives.
This project aims to provide every Bangsamoro learner and teacher with essential resources, reinforcing the commitment that no one is left behind in achieving quality education.
Headed by Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal, the MBHTE is one of the 15 primary ministries of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Meanwhile, the newly installed Provincial Director of the Maguindanao del Norte (MDN) Provincial Police Office (PPO) PCol. Joel Estaris, together with PLtCol. Archie Pajaro and PLt. Annaliza Aguilar, paid a courtesy visit on December 2 to Iqbal to discuss matters relating to peace and order in the province.
The visit aims to strengthen cooperation between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Ministry in advancing peace and security in the province.
Minister Iqbal also congratulated PCol. Estaris on his new role and expressed strong support to his leadership.
As chairperson of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Implementing Panel, he emphasized the importance of collaboration between local authorities and law enforcement in sustaining peace. Both parties committed to enhancing efforts to ensure the safety and development of communities in Maguindanao del Norte.
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. (✓)