Thousands of protesters gathered Monday outside the Bangsamoro Government Center in Cotabato City after a reported letter from Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua directed Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal to “resign or be deemed resigned” from the Cabinet of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Police estimated the crowd at nearly 20,000 as of Monday afternoon.
The letter, dated May 11, cited a special audit report by the Commission on Audit involving alleged discrepancies in procurement bids by suppliers of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE).
The report covered 45 contracts involving joint-venture bidders amounting to P2.247 billion. The letter stated that Iqbal should “resign or be deemed resigned at the close of office hours on Monday, May 18, 2026.”
Iqbal said he would not resign.
Reached by phone, the education minister said he had conferred with the resident COA auditor assigned to the agency and was assured that MBHTE management and finance services were complying with the technical requirements cited in the audit report.
“I will not resign,” Iqbal said.
The Office of the Interim Chief Minister could not officially confirm the authenticity of the letter, Manila Standard learned. The document circulating online reportedly lacked a barcode, official release date markings, and a receiving stamp from MBHTE.
A social media post by Prof. Parido Pigcaulan, president of the Association of Bangsamoro Doctors in the Philippines, alleged overpriced procurements, but the COA audit report cited in the letter did not contain such findings.
Sources said the protest had been planned at least a week earlier by civilian supporters who intended to gather in front of the Executive Building at the Bangsamoro Government Center.
Many of Iqbal’s supporters regard him as a key negotiator for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) during peace talks with the national government, including Senate hearings following the 2015 Mamasapano clash.
The clash resulted in the deaths of 44 Special Action Force personnel, 14 MILF fighters, and a civilian child in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
