Short link: https://wp.me/paaccn-S97

COTABATO CITY, September 7, 2025 (SDN) — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal has issued a statement about the Commission on Audit’s (COA) “retrieval” of documents from the ministry on September 5.

However, officials and employees of the MBHTE, one of the 15 primary ministries of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), were alarmed because the COA team was escorted armed members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including from the Marine contingent in the Bangsamoro region.

It was learned that Iqbal, chair of the Peace Implementing Panel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF PIP) was in Manila for the meeting of the Inter-governmental Relations Body (IGRB), which links the Philippine Government (GPH) and the MILF. The IGRB is tasked, among others, to look into the implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

The BOL in turn is the implementation of the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) the GPH and the MILF signed, ending the decades old Mindanao conflict.

Later in the same day, the retrieval operation of MBHTE documents at the Office of the Resident COA Auditor of the Ministry, Iqbal issued a statement as he expressed concern over the incident, saying that the “heavily armed law enforcement and military personnel’s” presence “in full battler gear inside the Ministry premises was uncalled for. Such an approach caused disruption of work, and unnecessary fear and alarm among the employees.”

On the other hand, the MBHTE head assured the ministry’s “commitment to adhere to all lawful auditing processes, we also hope that future undertakings of this nature will be carried out with due regard for coordination, appropriateness, and respect for the working environment of civilian personnel.”

In a related development, the spokesperson of the 6 Infantry Division (6ID), Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, clarified in a statement through Star FM Radio Cotabato that they did not violate any law in accompanying the COA audit team.

He said their troops acted only because of a formal request from COA National Office, even as he also denied that members of the escort team personally handled the documents that are related to two separate transactions by the MBHTE.

The 6ID officer said it was the COA team and the PNP elements that carried the carton of documents while the military men were there only to provide security. He added that no one was hurt in the retrieval operation.

_________

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜, 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐄𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐎𝐀-𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐌 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥
𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

“The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) issues this statement to clarify the events that transpired earlier yesterday, September 5, 2025, at the MBHTE Main Office, Bangsamoro Government Center, Cotabato City.

“At around 7:30 a.m., elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP), together with other armed personnel from the Marines and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), entered the MBHTE premises and assisted the Special Auditing Team (SAT) of the Commission on Audit – BARMM in the retrieval of documents from the Office of the Resident COA Auditor of the Ministry.

“The Ministry underscores the following circumstances that transpired during the retrieval:

“1. The Lead Auditor of the COA Special Audit Team was not present at the MBHTE premises during the retrieval of documents.

“2. Only a photocopy of the Memorandum Order purportedly issued by the COA Chairperson was presented to justify the operation.

“3. There was no prior coordination with the MBHTE, nor was a Mission Order presented by the armed personnel from the Marines, AFP, and PNP who entered the premises.

“4. The documents were physically handled by uniformed personnel instead of COA staff.

“5. The presence of heavily armed law enforcement and military personnel in full battle gear inside the Ministry premises was uncalled for. Such an approach caused disruption of work, and unnecessary fear and alarm among the employees of MBHTE, who were merely performing their daily functions in service of the Bangsamoro people.

“6. The MBHTE is now conducting a careful review of the incident and will explore the appropriate legal remedies available to it under the circumstances.

“While the MBHTE reiterates its commitment to adhere to all lawful auditing processes, we also hope that future undertakings of this nature will be carried out with due regard for coordination, appropriateness, and respect for the working environment of civilian personnel.” 

Mohagher M. Iqbal
Minister

Observers are hoping that all’s well that ends well. (/)