Beneficiaries show the cash assistance handed to them by the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) under its three banner programs during the payout ceremony on June 14, 2024, in Batulawan, Malidegao municipality. (Photo courtesy of Baimona Dalgan/MSSD)
SPECIAL GEOGRAPHIC AREA— A total of 127 beneficiaries in this new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) territory received financial assistance on June 14, 2024, in Batulawan, Malidegao municipality.
The Office of the Member of Parliament Mohammad Kellie Antao, and the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) joined forces during the simultaneous payout for recipients of Kupkop for poor and vulnerable orphans, the Angat Bangsamoro: Kabataan Tungo Sa Karunungan Program (ABaKa), or educational assistance for children from poor or low-income households, and the Bangsamoro Sagip Kabuhayan (BSK), which provides livelihood assistance to qualified indigent beneficiaries.
MSSD said that 23 beneficiaries received P5,000 each under its Kupkop, 84 high school students got P3,000 each for the ABaKa initiative, and 20 widows took home P15,000 each drawn from the BSK program as seed capital for their proposed business ideas.
In an interview, MP Antao said that this financial assistance is intended to help those who belong to the marginalized community and is part of the larger effort of Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim to bring government service to every constituent.
“Everything we do is driven by the Chief Minister’s advocacy to serve every constituent, primarily those in marginalized communities,” Antao said.
“Let’s thank Allah (SWT) and our leaders for their untiring support for us,” he added.
Antao further explained that his office, through his Transitional Development Impact Fund (TDIF) where the budget for the payout was drawn, ensures that they regularly allocate funds for social services initiatives.
Rahma Guiamlod, one of the widows who received the cash assistance, expressed her gratitude to the regional government.
“We thank the BARMM government for the amount we received. The amount may be small for some, but this manifests the BARMM’s commitment to serving every constituent,” Guiamlod said.
SGA is a territory of the BARMM scattered in different municipalities of Cotabato Province, established through a lawful plebiscite in 2019, carving out 63 barangays from the municipalities of Carmen, Kabacan, Pikit, Aleosan, Midsayap, and Pigcawayan.
Chief Minister Ebrahim has already signed laws for the creation of eight distinct municipalities in the area, while appointments for interim local government officials are yet to be released. (Abdullah Matucan/BIO with reports from MSSD and Office of MP Antao)
