The Bangsamoro Parliament In Focus

Bill for a Bangsamoro Science High School System tackled

COTABATO CITY – A measure seeking to establish a Bangsamoro Science High School System was deliberated on in a meeting held in the morning of April 5, by the Bangsamoro Parliament’s Committee on Science and Technology.

The Parliament Bill No. 37, also known as the "Bangsamoro Science High School System (BSHS) System Act of 2022," which was introduced by the Government of the Day, will offer a scholarship program to qualified learners in the region who want to pursue a profession in science and technology.

Various regional and national experts, as well as relevant stakeholders from all provinces and cities within BARMM and other science high schools, will be consulted during a series of public consultations and hearingsplanned for the proposed measure.

The COST members agreed also to jointly convene a meeting with the Committee on Basic, Higher, and Technical Education and the Committee on Finance, Budget, and Management, and to refer PB No. 37 to that committee as well. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)

This, apparently, is the MBHTE living up to its vision enunciated in the maxim, “No Bangsamoro child is left behind”. Each of the learner received Php3,000.

Iqbals MBHTE is one of the primary governance agencies of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao (now split as Maguindanaodel Sur and Magu- indanao del Norte), Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the 63 barangays or villages dubbed Special Geographic Area (SGA) that voted “yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction.

According to the Philippine Atlas has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur.

MBHTEs stipend for

the more than eight thousand learners come from its Standard Madrasah Curriculum (SMC) given out on April 3. The Php3,000 stipend for each learner is a one-time scholarship fund.

These “qualified and needy” beneficiaries determined by school heads based on the selection criteria, following the issued Regional Memorandum (RM) No. 896-B, Series of 2022, the education ministrysaid.

Iqbal emphasized the scholarship beneficiaries underwent validation and assessment.

Meanwhile, the MBHTE also provides aid for Typhoon Paeng-damaged schools

Accordingly, the support provided will cover the costs of repairs and maintenance of public school facilities under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) Allotment Class with unit prices below Php50,000.00 in accordance with Commission on Audit (COA) Circular 0042022 dated May 31,2022.

On top of this, a total of 210 schools that were “badly affected” Paeng received financial assistance worth Php50,000 and Php30,000. These schools were classified as severely and moderately affected’. (Bangsamoro Information Office, with reports from MBHTE)