Teachers welcome reinstatement of BARMM’s education minister

COTABATO CITY — School officials and local executives were elated with the reinstatement of the Bangsamoro education minister, who is among those who filed their courtesy resignation last month as part of a revamp in the regional bureaucracy.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulrauf A. Macacua told reporters on Wednesday, that he had rejected the courtesy resignation of Muhaquer M. Iqbal, who has been serving as education minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) since 2019.

“We are thankful to our chief minister for having rejected the courtesy resignation of Education Minister Iqbal,” Myra B. Mangkabung, superintendent of schools in Lamitan City, said on Wednesday.

Officials and employees of the Ministry of Higher, Basic and Technical Education-BARMM in the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and in the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato had posted on their Facebook their appreciation of the retention of Iqbal as regional education minister.

Maguindanao del Norte Vice Gov. Marshall I. Sinsuat and Cotabato City Mayor Mohammad Ali D. Matabalao separately told reporters that they are happy with the reinstatement of Mr. Iqbal as education minister.

“We had wished for that. He should stay there and continue working for the educational advancement of the Muslim, Christian and the non-Moro indigenous communities in the Bangsamoro region,” Mr. Matabalao said.

Mr. Iqbal is the seventh regional official ordered to remain in their posts.

Health Minister Kadil M. Sinolinding, Jr., who was also reinstated, said he is glad about Mr. Iqbal staying as education minister via a memorandum, signed on Monday, July 14. — John Felix M. Unson