October 31, 2024. Three hundred- thirty pupils of Madrasah in Camp Abubakar (Calagan, Tugaig, Barira, Maguindanao del Norte) are joyful of the classroom constructed through the support of European Union and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The said 2-classroom Madrasah building worth P3.2M was formally turned over today October 31, 2024 at Brgy. Tugaig, led by the new EU Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Massimo Santoro, together with his delegation and other partners in peace.
Ambassador Santoro said in a statement: “My visit here today is my first mission visit outside of Manila. And I think what is here today is a clear commitment of the European Union in supporting and sustaining sustainable peace and inclusive development in the BARMM.”
Madrasah An-nama Al-Islamiah was established in 2014 and has been sustained with the unified dedication of parents, teachers, local leaders and community members for the education of their children beneficial in this world and the hereafter.
“For the past years, we have been lacking with facility like classrooms. At present, we only have six rooms for the 330 pupils from Kinder to Grade 10. We cater multi-grade in one classroom, while the other classes are conducted outside, like in the Madrasah stage and open-type rooms”, Ustadz Khadir Udangan said. He is a mudeer in Madrasah An-nama.
Aleem Abdulghafur Abdulhamid of Directorate General for Madaris Education of Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (DGME-MBHTE) thanked donors for this project and informed about the program of the ministry for the Madrasah education in the Bangsamoro Region.
“We invite this Madrasah to apply for this support and we also would like to call for help from our donor partners today, because there are many other Madrasah that needs assistance”, Aleem Abdulhamid conveyed.
The construction of 2-classroom Madrasah building is implemented through the PROACTIVE: Programme on Assistance for Camp Transformation through Inclusion, Violence Prevention and Economic Empowerment- a program that supports the transformation and development in the six major camps of the MILF identified in the Normalization Annex of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between GPH and MILF in 2014.
For Camp Abubakar- a center of war in the past years, other projects constructed are water system, hygiene facility, solar dryer with warehouse, school library along with the provision of farm tractors, livelihood assistance (fish condo, demo vegetable farm) , others.
Partners in peace and development who attended this milestone were the co-chairs of the Joint Task Force on Camps Transformation (GPH was LtGen. Danilo Pamonag, for MILF was MP Ali O. Salik represented by Mohaimen Usman); JTFCT Camp Abubakar Chairman Abdulkudos Balitok, UNDP Philippines Winston Camarinas, Bangsamoro Development Agency Rhadzni Taalim, , Mindanao State University- Maguindanao, Philippine Marines, Municipal Local Government Unit of Barira, Barangay LGU of Tugaig and Nabalawag, people’s organizations, cooperatives, Asatidz, pupils, parents and community members.
EU delegation and partners have seen the actual usage of these projects and dialogue to the beneficiaries like the farmers, teachers, children and community members.
Atty. Paola Pampaloni, EU deputy managing director for East Asia and Pacific expressed the continuing commitment of EU to peace and development in Mindanao.
“We were here in past, we are here today, and we will be here in the coming days”, she stated.
BDA, the development arm of the MILF is a local partner in implementing the said projects through the PROACTIVE. (BDA Communications Team)
