Cotabato Province – Over 100 marginalized residents, including former Moro rebels from various barangays in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (SGA-BARMM), have each received a P20,000 livelihood grant following recent workshops on practical farming and fishpond management.

Last week’s workshops, facilitated by the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), involved 104 participants from the newly formed towns of Nabalawag, Kapalawan, and Pahamuddin. 

The sessions focused on integrated farming systems, pest control, and inland fishpond operations, aiming to enhance the participants’ agricultural and fisheries skills.

 

Local officials, including Midsayap Mayor Rolly Sacdalan and Kabacan Mayor Evangeline Guzman, expressed support for the initiative, noting that the program’s benefits extend to their municipalities. Mayor Sacdalan highlighted the economic ties between his municipality and nearby Bangsamoro barangays, where residents purchase farming supplies and market their produce.

 

Each participant received a P20,000 cash grant as capital to expand backyard farming and fishery projects. This follows an earlier P15,000 grant given during the program’s initial phase, part of the MSSD-BARMM’s Unlad Pamilyang Bangsamoro Program—a three-phase socio-economic initiative designed to uplift poor communities in the Bangsamoro region.

 

One beneficiary, 38-year-old Monica Mamalaguia, shared that the grants enabled her to increase her livestock, now owning eight goats, and to reclaim a small piece of agricultural land previously pawned to a relative. “We are thankful to the MSSD-BARMM for reaching out to us,” she said, highlighting the program’s positive impact on her family’s livelihood.

 

The ongoing support and capacity-building efforts underscore BARMM’s commitment to empowering marginalized communities and fostering sustainable economic growth in the Special Geographic Area.