MBHTE asked COA to find out how a ‘Strictly Confidential’ Document became public through media leak
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COTABATO CITY, March 23, 2026 (SDN) — The education ministry of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has deplored the spread of documents which are supposed to be comments only.
In a statement the MBHTE issued on March 22, it “notes with serious concern the unauthorized circulation of a document marked ‘Strictly Confidential — For Comments Purposes Only’, which appears to be part of an ongoing audit process. Such documents are preliminary in nature and are intended to facilitate internal review, clarification, and due process.”
The education ministry emphasized the document’s release to the public bereft of context and before the audit proceedings’ completion, “is improper and undermines established rules on confidentiality within government processes.”
Being referenced, apparently, is the Special Audit of some of the transactions of the education ministry, which the Commission on Audit (COA) had flagged.
In saying this, the MBHTE strongly maintains that all its transactions “remain subject to lawful procedures, audit verification, and appropriate documentation.”
In its statement circulated to the media, the Ministry assured its full cooperation with the COA as it intends to address the audit findings through the proper channels.
While at it, the MBHTE called on the audit commission to immediately trace how a document explicitly marked ‘Strictly Confidential — For Comments Purposes Only’ was leaked to media and became public knowledge, skewing outside authorized channels.
It also asked the COA to put in place necessary steps to preserve its audit processes.
“The public is urged to exercise discernment in accordance and to allow the audit to proceed in accordance with due process before why conclusion can be drawn,” the statement reads.
One the 15 primary ministries of the BARMM, the MBHTE is headed by Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal. (©)