By Ali Macabalang
COTABATO CITY — The education ministry of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be giving P10,000 emergency relief assistance allowance (ERAA) to each teaching and non-teaching workers in the region
BARMM Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal (Photo via Ali Macabalang / MANILA BULLETIN)
Qualified to receive the aid are teaching and non-teaching personnel of the BARMM’s Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) who have been in service at least, as of April 1, in the regional, division, district and school levels across the region regardless of status, according to MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal.
"The release of ERAA was in compliance with Memorandum Order No. 270 series of 2020 issued by the BARMM’s Office of the Chief Minister (OCM) on April 27," Iqbal said in an advisory posted online Monday.
The memorandum, signed by BARMM Executive Secretary Abdulraof Macacua for Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim, authorized the autonomous government’s ministry and offices to provide ERAA "not exceeding PHP10,000 per head as additional incentives to your employees during this state of calamity due to the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic."
It said the ERAA will be charged against the agencies’ personnel services, and maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) allocations.
Iqbal said his ministry will also release the midyear bonus of qualified teaching and non-teaching personnel, and their salaries for this month, not earlier than May 15.
The MBHTE, which used in BARMM the functions of the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, has some 22,000 personnel across Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces, the cities of Marawi, Lamitan and Cotabato, and 63 barangays in North Cotabato.
In an earlier statement, Iqbal said BARMM will synchronize its opening of classes for school year 2020-2021 in time with the national academic schedule, and is likely to adopt also the online or distance education conceived for the coronavirus pandemic by the Department of Education.