The Bangsamoro government allotted P1.23 billion to boost scholarship assistance and social welfare services, taken from a pooled fund with the national government.
The Bangsamoro Information Office disclosed that the autonomous government expanded its investments in education and social protection on July 22 ‘by rolling out more than P1.23 billion in scholarship assistance and welfare programs during the National Government-Bangsamoro Government Convergence Program.’
The assistance will be delivered by the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).
Social Services Minister Raissa Jajurie said her ministry allocated P1.22 billion for three of its flagship social protection programs: P560 million for the Bangsamoro Critical Assistance in Response to Emergency Situations (B-CARES), P540 million for the Kalinga sa May Kapansanan Program, and P122.64 million for the Kupkop Program.
The Kalinga sa May Kapansanan Program currently provides a monthly P1,000 subsidy to around 45,000 indigent persons with disabilities across BARMM, while the Kupkop Program extends P5,000 monthly assistance to 2,040 orphaned children. Since 2023, the B-CARES Program has assisted more than 184,855 individuals facing medical emergencies, disasters, armed conflict, and other crises.
The MOST, meanwhile, awarded P14.5 million in scholarship assistance to qualified beneficiaries under its Mujahideen Assistance for Science Education (Mase) and Professional Assistance for Science Education (Pase) programs.
The ministry released P10 million for MASE scholars and P4.5 million for Pase grantees pursuing postgraduate studies in science and technology-related fields.
The grants will cover tuition, learning materials, and other academic expenses.
The MOST said the increased assistance to science education will strengthening the region’s pool of science and technology professionals.
The P1.23 billion assistance was announced during the convergence of assistance and services programs held simultaneously at the headquarters of the Army’s (PA) Sixth Infantry ‘Kampilan’ Division, in Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, and the Bangsamoro Government Center in Cotabato City.
The assistance was a chunk of the more than P3.4 billion total worth of projects, services, and development interventions jointly implemented by the National government and the Bangsamoro autonomous government.
During the convergence programs this week, the MSSD also operated a service booth for B-CARES consultations, orientations on the Ligtas Pamilya Project, and the distribution of emergency go-bags for psychosocial workers and medical requisition slips for essential medicines. ‘Building an inclusive and a Matatag na Bangsamoro is a shared task. MSSD stands side-by-side with the Bangsamoro and National Governments, welcoming the President’s initiatives to drive meaningful progress across our communities,’ Jajurie said.