P212.7 M earmarked for BARMM projects

MANILA, Philippines — Budget Secretary Mina Pangandaman has approved the release of a Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) amounting to P212.77 million to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which will be used for projects in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) within the first quarter of the year, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

The release of the NCA was authorized by Pangandaman last February 20, the PCO added in a statement on Wednesday.

“Our collective efforts at developing BARMM are bearing fruit. Thus, our kababayans can be assured that we will continue to provide strong support to BARMM as we secure a future-proof and sustainable economy,” Pangandaman said in the PCO statement.

According to the PCO, the budget is part of the P3.22 billion fund allotted for social welfare projects in BARMM.

PCO noted that the funds will be used for the continued implementation of the following DSWD programs: the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens, the Sustainable Livelihood Program, the Supplementary Feeding Program, and the Implementation of R.A. No. 10868, or the Centenarians Act of 2016.

“We will continue to give all the necessary aid to our brothers and sisters in Mindanao because their success is the success of every Filipino,” Pangandaman said.

“This is aligned with the call of our beloved President Bongbong Marcos for a Bagong Pilipinas, where inclusivity and unity are of utmost importance. Sa Bagong Pilipinas, walang maiiwan, lalong-lalo na po ang Mindanao (In the New Philippines, no one will be left behind, especially Mindanao),” she also said.