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COTABATO CITY — In celebration of the holy month of Ramadhan 1447H (2026), the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), through its Gender and Development (GAD) Unit distributed on February 24, 2026, sacks of rice and grocery packages to its Main Office employees.
A total of 1,108 regular and contract of service (COS) employees received two sacks of 25 kgs rice and a grocery bag filled with essential items, including 2 liters of cooking oil, 1 liter each of soy sauce and vinegar, 1kg of tomato ketchup, original 3-in-1coffee, 1kg of native coffee, 2kgs of brown sugar, 840g of powdered milk, 24 packets of powdered juice, 1kg of sotanghon, 840g of powdered chocolate malt drink, 1 kg of elbow macaroni, 333g of fruit cocktail, 430g of cheese, 390g of condensed milk, 340g of kaong, 680g nata de coco, 220ml sandwich spread, 100g of food seasoning, 300g of all purpose cream, 1g of garlic, 1 kilograms of onion, 1 kg of dried fish (small), and 2 plastic laundry baskets.
Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal, head of the MBHTE, one of the 15 primary ministries of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) expressed his appreciation for the initiative, especially during the month of Ramadan.
“Masaya ako at may program tayong ganito at nagpapasalamat ako sa mga taong naging instrumento para maging matagumpay ang program ang ito,” he said.
The Ministry acknowledged that Ramadhan is a time devoted to fasting and reflection, and sought to give back in a meaningful way. By providing these groceries annually, the MBHTE aims to help make Ramadan a little easier and more joyful for its employees and their families.
It serves as a simple yet heartfelt reminder of the importance of supporting one another, especially during this meaningful time of year.
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.
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. (✓)