COTABATO CITY (PIA) – In a bid to reach the most vulnerable communities in the Bangsamoro region, the Bangsamoro government, through the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), has recently launched its newest program, “Layag Bajau.”
The landmark initiative aims to provide comprehensive and integrated social services to the ethnic group Sama Dilaut (more commonly known as Bajau) within the Bangsamoro region.
“We have just launched the program Layag Bajau, which is our landmark program. This program provides holistic assistance to what we call Bajau or Sama Dilaot families,” MSSD Minister Raissa Jajurie said during an interview.
According to Jajurie, the MSSD, through the program, will provide assistance to a total of 4,000 Bajau families in the region this year.
The benefits include access to a financial and livelihood program, as well as other protective measures.
“It would include the provision of seed capital as well as case management for the household, based on the Bangsamoro Organic Law,” she stated.
Jajurie also emphasized that the program is a response to the unique challenges faced by the Bajau, a traditionally nomadic community that often lives in houseboats and faces difficulties accessing government services due to their lifestyle.
“We have to have a more comprehensive approach to the Bajau because it is not just the economic aspect that we are looking at. We have to look at different aspects of their way of life and their culture, but also address the core problems like extreme poverty, discrimination, social exclusion, and others,” she stressed.
In the 2020 census, the Philippine Statistics Authority recorded 67,902 Bajau people in the country, but the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs (MIPA) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said the number could be higher, highlighting their significant marginalization.
“We are working to ensure that beyond the livelihood interventions, they can access education, health services, and other things to help achieve a better level of well-being and can assert their rights just like any other constituent of the Bangsamoro government,” Jajurie said.
The official also emphasized that the Bangsamoro Organic Law served as the foundation for the creation of the aforementioned program, ensuring that everyone has access to basic services.
“Under the law, the Bangsamoro government is responsible for ensuring equal opportunities for citizens in the Bangsamoro region, whether they are in the poorest or just part of the jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro government,” she pointed out. (LTB – PIA Cotabato City)
