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COTABATO CITY, November 16, 2025 — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) headed by Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal has held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a two-storey, 10-classroom school building in Barangay Gang, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte.
The project, amounting to ₱23,810,000, is funded under the Special Development Fund (SDF) 2024.
In addition, Barangay Cambingan, Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, also held a groundbreaking ceremony for a two-storey, four-classroom Public Madrasah, with a total project cost of ₱10,303,763.75.
These initiatives are part of the MBHTE’s continued commitment to expanding access to quality education and improving learning facilities across the Bangsamoro region.
Meanwhile, the MBHTE has welcomed the audit with openness, humility, and sincerity.
“We see this process not as a burden but as an opportunity to reaffirm our integrity and to strengthen our systems. We are ready to cooperate in full, to open our books, and to work side by side with COA in ensuring that public funds are used for their rightful purpose, and that is to uplift the education and the future of every Bangsamoro learner,” said Iqbal, who wears many hats in the Bangsamoro Peace Process.
“This is what Moral Governance requires from each of us. It is not only about compliance with the rules but about embracing accountability as a moral obligation. Every peso we spend, every program we implement, and every decision we make must always reflect our commitment to the welfare of the Bangsamoro learners and teachers who depend on the integrity of this Ministry.”
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. (✓)