Featured image above shows President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. speaking with BARMM Chief Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua (left) and Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal in Malacañang. (Credit: MP Ubaida Pacasem)
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MANILA, October 8, 2025 (SDN) — Bangsamoro officials led by Chief Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua attended and witnessed today, Wednesday, an important event in Malacañang.
The officials from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at the event, aside from the Chief Minister, included Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal, Member of the Parliament (MP) Ubaida Pacasem, among others.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. led the event for the signing of the Petroleum Service Contracts for oil and gas exploration in Mapun, Tawi-Tawi, one of the component provinces of the Bangsamoro region.
Macacua in his post on social media said he witnessed what he described as “defining moment for the Bangsamoro as we join the Department of Energy (DOE) and the MENRE (Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy)” in the event.
The Bangsamoro Chief Minister noted the event’s significance, saying it “marks a new chapter in our journey towards energy security and inclusive progress — anchored on moral governance, responsible stewardship, and lasting peace for our people.”
Marcos expressed confidence the just signed Petroleum Service Contracts (PSC) will serve to attract the interest of more international partners in pouring investments in the country and join in the efforts to discover new indigenous energy sources.
“Always know that this administration continues to find practical and sustainable ways to attract and sustain more investments in the energy sector,” he pointed out during the signing event on Wednesday of the PSCs.
He announced at the signing event the eight new PSCs pertaining to exploration of areas in the Sulu Sea, east Palawan, Cagayan, Cebu, and Central Luzon.
“Today marks a milestone. This is the largest batch of Petroleum Service Contracts awarded in a single period in Philippine history,” DOE Secretary Sharon Garin noted.
She pointed out the new contracts also include the world’s first competitive bid round for native hydrogen andbco-managed petroleum projects in the Bangsamoro region, adding it is a milestone for inclusive and regionally balanced energy development.
Local and foreign partners from Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United States, and others joined the PSCs presentation.
A potential investment commitment from the PSCs is projected at US$207 million (around Php12 billion) for seven years of exploration period, said the energy department.
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 — 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. (✓)