Bangsamoro chief minister files P75-B 2021 budget

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim filed on Thursday the P75-billion 2021 budget of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“What makes this financial program distinct from last year are the inclusion of efforts towards the public health crisis and other significant initiatives that were not part of last year’s fiscal design,” he said.

Education

The bulk of the proposed budget, P23.4 billion, will go to education programs.

The BARMM government aims to put up four more buildings to target colleges in the region and three additional technical municipal training centers.

Teachers will also receive P10,000 each for professional training and seminars, as well as a 5,000-peso extra allowance.

The proposed budget also includes P1.1 billion to boost the Madaris Asatidz Program, which focuses on Muslim-centered education.

Authorities also allotted P14 million for medicine scholarships and 50 health-allied courses, and P26 million for tertiary science, engineering, and mathematics programs.

Healthcare

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is allotted P5.1 billion under the proposed 2021 budget.

The regional government is targeting the construction of 173 additional barangay health stations (BHS) and 27 more rural health units (RHU)

Barangay health workers will also get a 500-peso allowance while the BHS will receive P3,000 for supplies and RHU will be given P30,000.

The BARMM government also seeks to provide ambulances worth P10 million each to MOH-supervised hospitals as well as more health workers in all seven COVID-19 isolation centers.

The Office of the Chief Minister (OCM) will also allot P193.4 million to subsidize the medical expenses of indigent Bangsamoro patients.

Social services

Under the proposed 2021 budget, the Ministry of Social Services and Development will get a P3.3-billion share, the bulk of which will be allotted for its Emergency Assistance Program.

The OCM’s humanitarian efforts will also receive a P1.4 billion funding that will be used for various forms of community support.

The government also aims to help address the housing and livelihood concerns of some 6,500 beneficiaries.

Authorities also allotted P517 million for Marawi City reconstruction efforts in 2021.

“We have to exhaust whatever we have to reset this region and proceed with the rest of the transition period,” Ebrahim told members of parliament.

Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said that President Rodrigo Duterte agreed to a possible extension of the Bangsamoro transition period by three years due to “difficulties” in achieving normalization in BARMM.  -- BAP, GMA News