Back to school woes

It would seem the problems on public funds allocated for education being lost to corruption have not only been happening at the national level of the Department of Education (DepEd). In particular, we refer to reports of alleged anomalous transactions at the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Allegedly, it involved the staggering single-day disbursement of P1.7 billion for Learner’s and Teacher’s Kits at the MBHTE.

It is disheartening to note that despite a monumental budget of P36 billion allocated to the ministry, the educational outcomes in BARMM remain discouragingly poor. These reports cast a troubling shadow over the region’s educational governance in what might be a systemic issue. Such demands immediate and rigorous investigation by the BARMM leadership. Large sums disbursed without the necessary checks and balances raise legitimate concerns about accountability and adherence to financial protocols.

Much earlier in 2023, the MBHTE minister ordered an investigation into allegations that a teacher’s plantilla was for sale at P300,000. The account of the transaction bypassing the Finance Division Chief is particularly alarming. This apparent deviation from standard operating procedures not only suggests a lack of oversight but also poses questions about the integrity of decision-making processes within the MBHTE.

This scenario highlights a disconnect between funding and effective resource utilization. This underscores a pressing need for strategic management and accountability. A system that operates in such a manner undermines the very foundation of education – equity and access. Teachers and prospective educators should have the opportunity to serve based on merit rather than personal connections or financial transactions that compromise ethical standards.

The ongoing investigations spearheaded by Minister Mohagher Mohammad Iqbal appear inadequate, given the lack of transparency and the absence of public results. Expecting justice from an internal investigation further exacerbate the deep-seated skepticism surrounding the MBHTE’s commitment to addressing its internal failings. Genuine accountability cannot stem from those who are implicated in the very issues being examined. This must be pursued by independent bodies capable of unbiased scrutiny.

The postponement of crucial programs such as the In-Service Training for Teachers (INSET) due to alleged favoritism reflects poorly on the administration’s priorities. It raises uncomfortable questions about whether the ministry is driven by the overarching goal of educational advancement or by personal interests. There is pressing need for reforms within the MBHTE. Strengthening oversight mechanisms, ensuring transparency in financial transactions and establishing ethical governance standards must take precedence.

The Office of the President and the Commission on Audit (COA) need to take decisive action to restore faith in the educational system of BARMM. This is to ensure that resources are utilized efficiently and equitably for the benefit of all learners and educators in the region. The future of education in BARMM depends on a commitment to integrity and reform that prioritizes the needs of its constituents over the self-serving interests of a few.

Much worse, local politics come in uninvited in the decision-making process.

Take the case of the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that twice upheld the petition of Sulu Governor Sakur Tan to opt out of the BARMM based on the results of the plebiscite. Majority of the Sulu residents voted “no” on being included in the BARMM. The plebiscite was in compliance with the law that created the BARMM to replace its forerunner, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The unintended consequence of the SC ruling effectively removed the island province from the annual P70-billion block grant to the BARMM and its seven legislative district representations in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). The many Tausugs and Jolo folks are now paying dearly for the decision of their political leaders in the Sulu provincial government.

As far as the national government is concerned, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process headed by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. has allocated P120 million for Sulu under agency budget. “Sulu will not be left behind. Sulu will always be part of the Bangsamoro,” Galvez vowed.

Flying all the way to Manila, BARMM officials, academe and business leaders echoed these sentiments during our Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last week. They were, namely, BARMM Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism Rosslaini Alonto-Sinarimbo; Ruhollah Hussein Alonto, a board member and lecturer of the Philippine National Historical Society, and Abdul Rashid “Elian” Macala, regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Board chairman of the Bangon Marawi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and vice chairman of the Bangsamoro Business Council.

First serving at the ARMM, Sinarimbo recalled she was among those whose tenure in office was cut short when the BARMM was established. But this did not stop Sinarimbo  from continuing her work in the establishment of the BARMM. “We can work together without fighting each other,” Sinarimbo, a Maranao from Lanao del Sur, pointed out.

“Even in diversity, we can have autonomy. At the BARMM, we believe we can work as one nation under one Republic but respecting autonomy,” she stressed.

Macala, for his part, echoed the calls for the present 80-man BTA to work double time in passing a local legislation to apportion the seven Sulu congressional seats among the five other provinces that opted to remain under the BARMM. The BTA, headed by Ahod Ibrahim, serves as the temporary parliamentary body for the BARMM.

The BTA is composed of presidential appointees that included members of the former secessionist groups belonging to the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), representatives from the groups of Ulamas, Christians and indigenous people’s organizations.

The BTA automatically ceases to exist once the newly elected BARMM officials assume office.

Alonto, for his part, cited the late “Sultan of Sulu” is the best evidence of the Moro nation to bring back Sulu in the BARMM again. “Inshallah, we can be complete again,” Alonto quipped.

From the historical point of view, BARMM is incomplete without Sulu. They can ask the next Congress to do it.