DAVAO CITY-Some 1,670 former mujahideen warriors-turned students, or their family members, received P80,000 in financial assistance for the two semesters this year, the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education’s (MBHTE) has disclosed.
The college student scholars were former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace agreement with government in 2014 and who took the scholarship examination under the MBHTE’s Access to Higher and Modern Education Scholarship Program (AHME-SP).
The qualified scholars have been either decommissioned combatants or their children, orphans, or surviving spouses, whose education was to be aligned with post-conflict rehabilitation and development efforts of the regional government.
Jawlah Lakman Kanapia, a 19-year-old Bachelor of Science in Nursing student-grantee at Notre Dame Hospital Siena College of Cotabato, said the scholarship opened doors in pursuing her education.
‘For many of us, this scholarship is not just a financial help; it is a chance to continue chasing our dreams and to build a better future for ourselves and our families. We are very grateful to be chosen as beneficiaries,’ said Kanapia, who is part of the regionwide continuing rollout of the program’s 7th Cohort, covering the Academic Year 2026-2027.
The scholarship for the decommissioned combatants started in 2020.
Of the 698 scholars who took their oath in Cotabato City this week, 224 are from Maguindanao del Sur, 224 from Maguindanao del Norte, 125 from the Special Geographic Area (SGA), and 125 from Cotabato City. Each scholar will receive P40,000 per semester, totaling P80,000 for two semesters.
Dayang Akirah Sansarona, chief of the Legal Research, Legal and Legislative Liaison Division, said she was delighted to confirm that the AHME-SP ‘is indeed inclusive.’
‘That proves that all had equal chances because you were all on equal footing when you applied,’ Sansaronas said.
‘When the demands of your education become heavy, remember why you started, remember that there are people who believe that your education is worth investing in,’ said Marjuni Maddi, the MBHTE Director-General for Higher Education.
In Cotabato City, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) expanded access to science and technology education by deploying offline digital libraries to the schools in the city, to address persistent internet connectivity gaps.
At the KCC Mall Convention Hall in Cotabato City on August 27, the MOST turned over Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated KioskS (Starbooks) units to six schools during the Bangsamoro Science and Technology Week (BSTW).
The recipient schools were Kilangan National High School, Bai Monera Abas-Asim High School, Dar Al-Uloom Wal-Hikmah Institute, Inc., Simuay Junction Central Elementary School, St. Benedict College of Cotabato, and Cotabato City Institute, Inc.
The distribution brought to 12 the number of schools in BARMM that have received Starbook units from MOST this year.
Six other schools received the units during a turnover ceremony on May 20 at the Cotabato City Division Gymnasium. These were Bangsamoro Science High School, Mindanao Capitol College Inc., Datu Siang National High School, Kutawato Institute of Technology Foundation Inc., Datu Sema Kalantungan High School, and Cotabato City National High School (CCNHS) Annex-Diocolano.
The initiative responds to challenges in internet access, which can affect students’ ability to obtain reliable information for their studies and research.
A 2025 study by Mamalampac et al. found that only 15.75 percent of households had internet access, highlighting the limited connectivity available to learners in the region, the Bangsamoro Information Office said.
Through Starbooks, students and teachers can access science and technology references, research materials, educational videos, journals, and interactive learning resources without an internet connection, the information office said.
‘Through these projects, we are bringing science and technology closer to our people, especially our learners, who continue to face limited access to information,’ MOST Director General Engineer Abdulrakman Asim said
Dr. Julius Clarete, vice president for Academic Affairs of St. Benedict College of Cotabato, said her students often struggle to find reliable and updated resources when internet access is limited.
‘Our students face challenges in accessing reliable science resources due to limited internet connectivity, the high cost of mobile data, outdated library books, unreliable online sources, and the expense of subscription-based research materials. However, with the introduction of Starbooks, these challenges have become opportunities for improvement, as students can now access thousands of trusted science and technology resources offline and free of internet costs. This will support their lessons, projects, and research while encouraging greater interest in science,’ he said.
Rayanna-Snow Mocsin, a Grade 11 STEM student from Cotabato City Institute, Inc., said Starbooks will be a big help for students, ‘especially now that we have it in our school. Some of us only have limited resources so this is a great opportunity for us to learn more.’.