Cotabato City — Serious governance and spending issues have surfaced at the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) following a rigorous budget review by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament, raising fresh concerns over accountability in the region’s education sector.
The findings were detailed in BTA Committee Report No. 195, presented by the Committee on Finance, Budget, and Management (CFBM) after a series of budget hearings covering MBHTE and other BARMM agencies. Lawmakers said the review uncovered slow fund utilization, questionable expenditures, and weak performance indicators that directly affect the quality of education received by Bangsamoro learners.
CFBM Chair Atty. Kitem Kadatuan Jr. said the committee was alarmed by MBHTE’s inability to efficiently use its resources despite a massive proposed budget of around ₱32 billion, noting that delays and inefficiencies translate to unmet needs in classrooms across the region.
Among the most controversial findings was the purchase of allegedly overpriced armchairs costing ₱5,049 each, a figure lawmakers said is significantly higher than prices in other regions. The committee also flagged insufficient and substandard textbooks, compounding long-standing shortages that teachers and students continue to endure.
Even more troubling, according to MP Engr. Baintan Ampatuan, Chair of CFBM Subcommittee D, was the discovery of a separate MBHTE bank account holding approximately ₱5 billion that has reportedly remained unused for several years. Lawmakers questioned why such a large amount sat idle while schools struggle with overcrowded classrooms, lack of learning materials, and understaffed teaching positions.
The review further cited unfulfilled obligations, numerous vacant plantilla positions, and persistent administrative problems within the ministry. Particular concern was raised over the allocation of only ₱2.8 million for Indigenous Peoples (IP) development programs, an amount lawmakers described as grossly inadequate given the scale of needs in IP communities and the ministry’s overall budget.
The BTA Parliament urged MBHTE to place education at the center of regional development, warning that continued mismanagement would jeopardize the future of Bangsamoro youth.
The revelations come amid heightened scrutiny of MBHTE. Even before the committee report reached the plenary, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) released a separate assessment of BARMM’s education sector, which lawmakers said informed their deeper examination of the ministry’s spending patterns.
MBHTE has also been mired in controversy since August, when the Commission on Audit (COA) announced a special audit of the agency. COA flagged more than ₱2.2 billion in questionable transactions, including ₱1.77 billion in checks issued in a single day and nearly ₱500 million allegedly paid to a lone supplier—transactions that auditors said warrant thorough investigation. Observers noted that the audit goes beyond bookkeeping and touches on the delicate trust between the national government and the Bangsamoro autonomous region.
Adding to public outrage is the unresolved issue surrounding the hiring of teachers, particularly allegations of “double item” appointments where some applicants reportedly received two plantilla positions while others—despite years of volunteer teaching and stronger qualifications—were left out. Complaints from Maguindanao del Norte, Marawi City, and Lanao del Sur have intensified calls for transparency and fairness in MBHTE’s recruitment process.
For lawmakers and education advocates, the pattern is deeply concerning. “These are not isolated issues,” one parliament member noted. “They point to systemic weaknesses that, if left unaddressed, will continue to shortchange Bangsamoro children.”
As the proposed budget moves forward in Parliament, legislators made it clear that MBHTE will face tougher scrutiny, with reforms and corrective measures expected before additional funds are approved. For a region where education is seen as a cornerstone of peace and development, the stakes could not be higher.