Republic of the Philippines

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Cotabato City

BANGSAMORO TRANSITION AUTHORITY

Resolution No. ___________

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Introduced by BTA Member Atty. Maisara Cudia Dandamun-Latiph

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RESOLUTION

DIRECTING THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND DEVELOPMENT (MSSD)

IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MINISTRY OF BASIC, HIGHER AND
TECHNICAL EDUCATION (MBHTE) TO INCREASE AND STRENGTHEN THE
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT IS INCLUSIVE TO THE
DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN AND OTHER NEEDY FAMILIES IN THE REGION

WHEREAS, Article IX, Section 16 of Republic Act No. 11054 provides that it shall be a top
priority of the Bangsamoro Government to establish, maintain, and support a complete and
integrated system of quality education, which shall be a subsystem of the national education
system. The Bangsamoro Government shall develop an educational framework relevant and
responsive to the needs, ideals, and aspirations of the Bangsamoro people;

WHEREAS, Article XIV, Section 1 under the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states that
‘the State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and
shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all;

WHEREAS, Article XIV, Section 2 under the 1987 Philippine Constitution requires the
establishment, maintenance and support of a complete, adequate and integrated system of
education relevant to the needs of the people and society;

WHEREAS, as provided in Republic Act No. 105331, schools and learning institutions shall
continue to deliver education services that are “relevant to the needs of the people, the country
and society-at-large” in a manner that is appropriate, feasible and compliant to the minimum
health and safety standards and directive from IATF-EID, BARMM-IATF, MOH and other
proper authorities;

1
Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, S. 3286, 15th Cong. (2012).
WHEREAS, pursuant to the instructions of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, and as
recommended by the DepEd, the opening of classes is deferred to October 05, 2020. In this
regard, the DepEd is hereby instructed to ensure that all preparations have been made for the
smooth and successful virtual opening of classes for Academic Year 2020-2021; 2

WHEREAS, DepEd hereby clarifies that such private or non-DepEd schools that have already
started their classes, or are scheduled to start classes on August 24, 2020 or on other dates ahead
of October 5, 2020 are allowed to proceed provided they are strictly using only distance learning
modalities and that there are no face-to-face classes;3

WHEREAS, “No Bangsamoro Child Left Behind.” However, this pandemic highlights a stark
divide: children’s access to education for those who can afford it and those who cannot. For
many children, school is a safe haven and a protective environment. However, the CoViD-19
pandemic is shifting children’s learning from school to the home setting;4

WHEREAS, Education is the most effective means to overcome poverty and empower
individuals over the long term-horizon. However, for families with poor and limited access to
resources, education tends to be of less priority when their income is just enough for their daily
subsistence; 5

WHEREAS, there are at least 213 barangays in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (BARMM) where children do not have access to any learning facility. This problem is
affecting over 45,000 primary school aged children; 6

WHEREAS, the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) has a program for
Educational Assistance for children of disadvantaged and other needy families. This provides the
beneficiaries, once a year with the amount of Php 1,000 for Elementary, Php 1,500 for High
school and Php 10,000 for College Students, there is still a need to increase this Educational
Assistance and shall allocate every month or twice a year whenever possible;

WHEREAS, the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) provides
scholarship programs such as, Access to Higher and Modern Education Scholarship Program
(AHME-SP) also known as the “Bangsamoro IQ Scholar”, this shall only accommodate Senior
High School and Alternative Leaning System graduates in the region. However, there is an
additional need to ensure that children’s right to learn is supported even in a household setting;

WHEREAS, there is a need to increase Educational Assistance Program by the MSSD and with
the collaboration of the MBHTE to have more scholarship grants to the deserving children
especially in the remote areas that shall be determined through a wide, inclusive and fair
2
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1321659/deped-opening-of-classes-in-public-schools-moved-to-october-5
3
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1322167/private-schools-allowed-to-start-classes-before-oct-5
4
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/save-children-philippines-supports-deped-adaptive-learning-methods-children-youth.
5
1st Bangsamoro Development Plan 2020-2022: Chapter 9 Page#200
6
https://www.unicef.org/philippines/stories/every-child-bangsamoro-education
assessment. Orphans and disadvantaged children shall be one of the priorities for Educational
Assistance to make sure that they still have access to education especially in this time of
pandemic.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority:

DIRECTING THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND DEVELOPMENT (MSSD)

IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MINISTRY OF BASIC, HIGHER AND
TECHNICAL EDUCATION (MBHTE) TO INCREASE AND STRENGTHEN THE
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT IS INCLUSIVE TO THE
DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN AND OTHER NEEDY FAMILIES IN THE REGION.

Adopted,

Atty. Maisara C. Dandamun-Latiph

Member of the Parliament - Bangsamoro Transition Authority