Multiply-Ed convened several BARMM Ministries and civil society organizations last June 13, 2025, in Cotabato City for a roundtable discussion on transparency, participation, and accountability (TPA) reforms in the region.
Recognizing that access to quality health, education and social protection services by citizens, including youth and students, relies heavily on good democratic governance, representatives from the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE), the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG), the Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC), and the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) presented their respective efforts to enhance transparency, participation, and accountability in BARMM.
Programs to Ensure TPA in BARMM
The first to present was Ms. Nashreeffa Pandita of the MILG who showcased several programs aimed at strengthening TPA, especially in BARMM local government units (LGUs). One of these programs is the Local Governance Functionality Appraisal (LOGFA), which caters to LGUs. They also have a separate program for barangays called LOGFA-B.
According to Ms. Pandita, these programs look at the functionality of their LGUs through seven areas: (1) presence of a government center with facilities; (2) presence of working elected and appointed officials and functionaries; (3) functional local special bodies; (4) a functional legislative body; (5) approved mandated plans and budget; (6) available, visible, and accessible basic services; and (7) sound fiscal management. It aims to assess the readiness of LGUs for devolution, as services are currently still provided by the regional government.
The MILG also provides capacity building for members of local special bodies through the Harnessing Organization Proficiency and Effectiveness (HOPE) program. They also have a policy compliance monitoring system for local disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation (DRRM-CA) to check how LGUs utilize their DRRM-CA funds, which LGUs are also required to post publicly.
In order to bring services closer to the people, the MILG also implements, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Localizing e-Governance for Accelerated Provision of Services (LEAPS). This program aims to hasten the digitalization of government services to improve accessibility and efficiency.
Aside from these efforts, they also implement national programs such as the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG), Full Disclosure Policy Program (FDPP), and the Transparency Seal.
The second presentation came from Director Johnny G. Balawag of the MBHTE. He discussed the integrated and unified structure of their Ministry, in comparison to the national tri-focalized system of the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The MBHTE provides a contextualized and holistic approach to education through their Bangsamoro Education Code.
Director Balawag succinctly describes the vision of the Ministry as manifested through its policies and programs: “A Bangsamoro Learner must be righteous, healthy, a steward of the environment, proactive and resilient, a critical thinker, have lifelong skills, and is empowered.”
He then shared the strengthened Senior High School (SHS) curriculum, which will be piloted in select schools all over the country in the coming School Year 2025-2026. Thirty schools in the region are set to take part in the pilot run, some of which are also partners of Multiply-Ed.
As the policy-making and coordinating body for all matters affecting BARMM youth, the Bangsamoro Youth Commission, for its part, engages with different ministries to ensure equitable and just youth access to government services and policies. While there are no programs that are being directly implemented by the Commission, Ms. Sohaila Macadato shared numerous plans to publish policy frameworks and organize youth groups in the Region to strengthen their visibility in BARMM. The BYC is keen in actively engaging future youth Members of Parliament (MPs) in the coming October 2025Bangsamoro elections.
As the counterpart of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the MSSD is in charge of implementing social protection and development programs in BARMM-such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
In addition, the MSSD is in strong collaboration with fellow ministries to promote social work in universities, and consulting stakeholders, beneficiaries, and civil society organizations (CSOs) for their action plans, such as the Bangsamoro Social Protection Plan. They regularly publish reports and updates. Municipal social work officers report to the regional ministry and are being monitored by the MSSD, except for the cities of Marawi, Cotabato, and the province of Basilan.
Mr. JP Ali of the MSSD said that their Ministry is conducting institution-building to ensure TPA, such as a resource allocation process to ensure that they remain functional and responsive to municipalities that require the most support. They are also planning to conduct a “community-driven” budget process, and a monitoring and evaluation system with third-party monitoring to invite BARMM citizens and beneficiaries to take part in their social welfare programs. He also shared that they have a grievance redress mechanism that citizens can also use.
Other Services on Youth and Education Shared
Mr. Sadam Ulama of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society shared their work on education in the region. He presented the No Bangsamoro Child Left Behind in BARMM. A project that is being co-implementing with the World Bank and funded by the Government of Japan, this initiative aims to improve learning outcomes of re-enrolled out-of-school youth and at-risk children in select areas in the region.
On the other hand, Ms. Noreeya B. Hassan from the Population Division of the Ministry of Health presented relevant services and programs implemented by the Ministry. Among them is the Adolescent Health and Development Program, which aims to integrate health services and develop adolescent-friendly healthcare facilities across BARMM.
Ways Forward
To ensure good democratic governance in BARMM, Mr. Ali highlighted that education is crucial to its fulfillment. While BARMM is a parliamentary government, it is still in its transition stage, a period wherein the bureaucracy is still being built and development plans are being crafted. With the upcoming elections in October 2025, it is even more important to have informed voters to ensure that they elect officials who can sustain these gains. This political track, he notes, is a critical element of peace agreement between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Following the points raised by Mr. Ali during his presentation, Ms. Joy Aceron of Government Watch (G-Watch) asked what the critical agenda should be that the Bangsamoro government must focus on.
For Director Balawag, it is communication, participation, and education. He acknowledged that there are still many in the Region who do not know or understand how the BARMM government works and therefore refuse to participate. For this reason, there is a need to bring the government to the communities, not just to disseminate information, but more importantly, to gather their inputs and facilitate their participation in governance.
“When we want the analysis, it will not be discussed at the level of higher authorities. It must go down to the level of asking the real needs of the grassroots. Dapat doon, kasi sila ang nakakaalam talaga [...] Dapat dadalhin natin ang government doon sa pinakababa para in a way ma-feel nila that they are part of [the government], that they are involved, and that they can participate participate well,” he said. (When we want the analysis, it will not be discussed at the level of higher authorities. It must go down to the level of asking the real needs of the grassroots. It should be there because they are the ones who really know…We should bring the government to the grassroots so that in a way, they feel that they are part of [the government], that they are involved, and that they can participate well.)
Mr. Ali reiterated the need to build institutions and mechanisms to prevent abuse of power. In MSSD, for example, they make sure that resource allocation is evidence-based. He also underscored the importance of allocating a budget for the implementation of the numerous plans developed for and by BARMM. He sees the importance of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority in addressing this issue.
Proper monitoring and evaluation are also critical to good governance. Mr. Ali acknowledged the role of third-party monitors as partners in helping the government perform its mandate. He also shared the sentiment of Director Balawag, citing the need to empower citizens by letting them participate in governance and educating them about government so that they could also exact accountability.
X-Ed students, student-leaders, and teachers also took the opportunity to ask questions to the duty-bearers present. One of them asked how the BARMM government plans to ensure the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ members in their processes and programs. Mr. Ali, Dir. Balawag and Ms. Macadato validated the prevalent gender-based harassment and violence present in the Region, and gave assurance that their dignity and rights as people are protected; and that LGBTQIA+ youth and students remain under the Child Protection Policy in schools. BYC is also committed to fulfilling its gender and development agenda through its Bangsamoro Youth Assessment Study.
A concern was raised about how the regional government is addressing the rising cases of HIV in the country. The MOH shared that rural health units have testing and diagnostic kits available, and the Ministry is currently strengthening its Health Education and Promotion programs. BYC also assured that comprehensive sexuality education is being taught in schools.
Another concern was tablets and laptops not being received by students and teachers. Dir. Balawag thanked the student who raised the issue, highlighting the importance of engaging directly with duty-bearers who often do not hear about experiences on the ground. He committed to talking to the Ministry’s supply officers so that it would be addressed immediately.
The successful conduct of the roundtable discussion became a hopeful manifestation of students, young people, and teachers working together towards a responsive BARMM government. While the Region is in its last months of transition, local Multiply-Ed volunteers and accountability frontliners are maximizing the opportunity to advocate for TPA. A fresh start for BARMM may just set progressive precedents for the rest of the country to follow.
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