“The COA central office has acted promptly on public outcry over alleged anomalous activities in BARMM“
DON’T look now, but it seems that autonomy or self-rule in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao isn’t exactly going in the right direction.
Commission on Audit Chairman Gamaliel A. Cordoba has ordered a special audit of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education headed by Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal due to alleged anomalous disbursements totaling P2.2 billion.
In his Aug. 11, 2025 letter to BARMM Chief Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua, Cordoba said the complaints against Iqbal warranted an investigation following the initial review made by COA offices on the two complaints filed against the MBHTE Minister.
“Following the initial review by the relevant COA offices, the complaints merit the conduct of a special audit,” Cordoba wrote.
The first complaint pertains to the P1.77 billion payment made in a single day, circumventing the Finance Division’s standard review process, through issuance of checks to individual personnel, including the cashier.
News reports said the P1.7 billion payment made for Learner’s and Teacher’s Kits on March 7, 2025 happened in just one day without oversight.
The transaction did not pass through the Finance Division Chief for review and signature, as required by standard procedures to ensure completeness, legality and compliance with government rules and policies, insiders said.
The MBHTE holds the biggest share in the BARMM budget at more than P36 billion or around a third of the Regional Government’s budget.
Despite this huge budget in the last six years, educational outcomes continue to be dismal, with the region registering the highest illiteracy rate in the country at 14.4 percent.
Only 11.2 percent of indigenous children in BARMM complete basic education, with many dropping out due to poverty, conflict, and lack of access.
There are also infrastructure and access issues. Students in remote areas often walk hours to reach schools, and many communities lack electricity and basic facilities.
On the other hand, the second complaint against Iqbal involved the P449-million payment issued to a single supplier under questionable circumstances.
Cordoba said that COA was already constituting a special audit team to examine the subject transactions.
“We respectfully request your assistance for the audit team for the entire duration of the audit. We shall coordinate with your office on this matter,” he said.
Insiders, whose identities are withheld for security reasons, said witnesses had provided sworn statements regarding questionable dealings within the MBHTE.
The MBHTE has been marred by corruption issues, including allegations of selling items to prospective teachers.
The peace process in Muslim Mindanao and especially the decommissioning issue should not be used to divert the issue of massive corruption and shield Mohagher M. Iqbal from accountability.
The corruption issue had been raised in media even before the peace process screeched to a halt with the recent order of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to its commanders and rank-and-file to desist from participating in any government-issued decommissioning initiative, which has effectively diverted public attention away from serious corruption issues involving the MBHTE.
Apart from the MBHTE’s alleged corruption issues, the Office of the Chief Minister also faces an investigation in Congress over BARMM’s alleged questionable use of its P6.4-billion Local Government Support Fund.
In March, the House Committee on Public Accounts urged COA to conduct a fraud audit on the BARMM’s release of LGSF to favored villages in the region.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government in BARMM has faced backlash over reports of imported rice priced at ₱60 per kilo, which Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. condemned as profiteering.
The Department of Agriculture clarified that 5 percent broken imported rice should not exceed ₱50/kg, and 25 percent broken rice should be even cheaper
The COA central office has acted promptly on public outcry over alleged anomalous activities in BARMM.
The Chief Minister should now move decisively against Cabinet members accused of plundering the public coffers.
Otherwise, he could be held accountable for gross neglect of duty or even complicity in massive corruption. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)
