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COTABATO CITY — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) headed by Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal participated in the annual celebration of Shariff Kabunsuan’s coming to the Philippines held every 19th of December.
This year’s celebration featured a grand parade participated by various ministries, offices, and agencies which started from Cotabato State University (CotSU) to the Bangsamoro Port and Management Office (BPMA) to witness the Guinakit Fluvial Parade. The fluvial procession reenacted the historic arrival of Shariff Kabunsuan along the waters of the Rio Grande de Mindanao (Pulangi River).
Through celebrations like this, the Bangsamoro people are reminded of their shared history — strengthening their sense of identity and renewing their commitment to unity, faith, and lasting peace.
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. (✓)