Education top priority in P94-B Bangsamoro budget
COTABATO CITY —— Education took a big chunk of the some P94.4 billion in spending by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for 2025 that took effect last on Thursday, in what could be the last one annual budget enacted by the region’s transition government.
The 2025 budget was passed two weeks ago after undergoing over a month of deliberations by the interim parliament’s committee on finance, budget, and management that aimed for a “strategic allocation of the region’s resources.”
“Let us use this opportunity to leave a lasting imprint of transparency, inclusivity, and responsive, moral governance for the betterment of our Bangsamoro government and the public we serve,” interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim said in a statement.
Education received the largest allocation in the BARMM budget for 2025, with the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education cornering 33.2 percent of the total spending.
This reinforces the regional government’s commitment to education as a foundation for progress, according to Ebrahim.
The Ministry of Public Works had a share of 11.8 percent, the Ministry of Health had 7.7 percent, and the Ministry of Social Services and Development took 4 percent of the budget.
Sulu’s share
Despite the Supreme Court ruling last September severing Sulu from the Bangsamoro region, the 2025 budget includes funding provisions for development initiatives there.
This decision highlights the government’s commitment to ensuring continuous and effective delivery of services to the province, regardless of political boundaries, Ebrahim said.
Earlier, the Intergovernmental Relations Body that includes representatives from the Bangsamoro and national governments, has pledged a seamless transition for Sulu following the high court’s ruling.
BARMM Education Minister Mohaqher Iqbal, who co-chairs the IGRB, said the region is giving importance to preserving Sulu’s Bangsamoro identity while facilitating the transition of providing services in the province to the national government.
“Our efforts must ensure the people of Sulu remain strongly connected to the overarching vision of peace and self-determination (of BARMM),” Iqbal said.
The 2025 regional elections in the BARMM still hangs in the balance as President Marcos had not yet given the green light to have it postponed to 2026 as provided for in a measure approved in the House of Representatives.
