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COTABATO CITY — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) invited Al‑Fairah Mae Z. Masulot, a talented student from Notre Dame of Tacurong College (NDTC), Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat province, on February 13, at the Office of the Minister (OCM) after she gained widespread attention for her exceptional artistic talent.
Headed by Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal, the MBHTE is one of the 15 primary ministries of the Bangsamoro Government.
Ms. Masulot is from Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur, and first gained recognition for her portrait of Minister Iqbal, created using coffee as her sole painting medium. The piece drew widespread attention for its creativity.
She has now produced another portrait of the minister on a larger canvas. This most recent artwork led to her being invited again by MBHTE, acknowledging her continued artistic achievements.
According to Ms. Masulot, her inspiration for painting the minister came after reading his book, “Bangsamoro: A Nation under Endless Tyranny”, and learning about his dedication and long-standing advocacy for the rights of the Moro people — something she aimed to reflect in her new piece.
Her artwork gained broader recognition after she shared it on Facebook, where it was widely viewed and appreciated, eventually reaching the Ministry. Ms. Masulot’s work continues to highlight the achievements of young artists in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and reflects the impact of creativity, discipline, and commitment in artistic development.
The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 CAB, is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, 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.