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COTABATO CITY — To formally kick off the new school year (SY), the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) led by Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal conducted on July 29 the Ceremonial Launch of the Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) Program, along with the Culmination of Nutrition Month for SY 2025-2026.
Headed by Minister Iqbal, the MBHTE is one of the 15 primary ministries of the Bangsamoro government.
The event, which was held at the Mohammad Ali S. Guro Gymnasium and hosted by the Municipality of Matanog, Maguindanao del Norte, gathered ministry officials, local leaders, school heads, and learners in one unified celebration of health and education.
This school year marks a significant expansion of the HGSF Program in Maguindanao del Norte, with 19 additional schools added, bringing the total number of implementing schools to 28. The program also now covers 10 municipalities, following the inclusion of three more municipalities this year.
The HGSF Program is set to benefit 10,451 learners, providing them with daily nutritious meals for 175 feeding days. These meals will be prepared using ingredients sourced from local farmers and fisherfolk, supporting not only student health and academic performance but also local economic development.
In his keynote message, Minister Iqbal emphasized that the program is a concrete expression of moral governance and a step toward justice and equity in education.
“This is not charity; this is justice,” said Minister Iqbal. “We must ensure that poverty or hunger does not stand in the way of learning. When we invest in nutrition, we invest in peace, prosperity, and the future of the Bangsamoro,” he added.
HGSF program supports both academic performance and local livelihoods
Maguindanao del Norte Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Alma Abdula-Nor also underscored the Ministry’s continuous investment in the health and well-being of learners who need it the most.
“Let this celebration not end today, but continue every day — in our classrooms, in our homes, and in our communities. When we feed a child, we nourish not just the body, but also the hope for a better future,” she said.
Also showing support for the program was Hidenori Akasaka, First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, who gave a message of support for the HGSF initiative. Provincial Governor of Maguindanao del Norte, Hon. Datu Tucao O. Mastura, who was represented by Dr. Baiking Balinte, along with Matanog Mayor Zohria S. Bansil-Guro, and Brigadier General Larry Batalla, delivered messages of commitment to support the health and well-being of learners and to ensure that schools remain safe, nurturing environments across the Bangsamoro region.
This event would not have been possible without the continued support of MBHTE’s invaluable partner, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Their unwavering commitment ensures that no Bangsamoro learner is left behind, especially when it comes to meeting their most basic nutritional needs.
The launch also featured a series of ceremonial handovers and activities, including the distribution of the HGSF program support check, kitchen utensils, iron-fortified rice, garden tools and seeds, and deworming supplies to participating schools.
These were followed by the ceremonial school feeding, commitment wall signing, and mural painting, symbolizing the program’s core values of community participation, learner support, and inter-agency collaboration.
MBHTE officials said the HGSF program supports not only academic performance but also local livelihoods, as it sources fresh ingredients directly from nearby farming communities.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to providing not just access to education, but also the conditions that allow learners in the BARMM to grow, thrive, and succeed.
Established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the Bangsamoro region 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 — now eight new municipalities — 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. (✓)