BARMM’s Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) Minister Mohagher Iqbal listened intently to his staff during a recent budget deliberation with the Bangsamoro Parliament. Iqbal defended the education sector’s 2024 budget, which got the biggest slice of BARMM’s approved budget at P30.2 billion of the total P98.4 billion BARMM budget for 2024. (Photo courtesy of MBHTE-BARMM)
COTABATO CITY (PIA) — The education sector under the helm of the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MBHTE-BARMM) received the largest allocation of P30.2 billion in BARMM’s P98.4 billion budget for 2024.
The budget will be used to support the implementation of quality education, including funds for government and private Madaris education and scholarship programs.
“The allocation reflects the region’s commitment to enhancing quality education in BARMM for inclusive growth, sustainable development, and innovation,” MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal said.
Iqbal said that of the P30.2 billion budget, MBHTE will use P754 million for the construction of schools, classrooms, and libraries, as well as the provision of furniture and fixtures for teachers.
According to him, aside from salaries and wages and other operating expenses, MBHTE will also fund various education programs, scholarships, and the development of schools and learning centers, ensuring that quality education is accessible to all.
Members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament discussed the final budget deliberations, involving the proposed budgets of all ministries and offices in BARMM, during a session held on December 21 in Cotabato City. (Photo courtesy of BTA-BARMM)
On December 21, the BARMM’s Bangsamoro Parliament unanimously approved, on the third and final reading, the P98.4 billion BARMM budget for 2024, otherwise known as the Bangsamoro Expenditure Program (BEP), after nine days of extensive deliberations.
The following are highlights of the 2024 budget allocations for the ministries and offices: MBHTE with P30,251,210,027; Ministry of Public Works (MPW) with P17,774,054,140; Ministry of Health (MOH) with P6,657,091,430; Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) with P4,831,206,302; Office of the Chief Minister (OCM) with P3,884,118,344; Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) with P3,702,389,285; Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG) with P2,359,893,235; Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) with P1,913,541,274; Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) with P1,132,845,944; and Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE) with P834,206,301.
The BTA parliament also disclosed that the 2024 fund allocation for the operations of BARMM is 15.3 percent higher than the 2023 budget of P85.3 billion.
As a response, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim emphasized that the Bangsamoro budget relies on institutions of moral governance and public ethics that value honesty, fairness, professionalism, and productivity.
“Let’s ensure that this budget provides concrete results for our communities. To Bangsamoro, this budget is for you. It was crafted to ensure that we all reap the fruits of a long-time struggle,” he said. (LTB – PIA Cotabato City/BTA)
